Transcendence of Love
by Sororityprincess
Summary: The story is set in a world where Queen Metalia was defeated, however, the Princess was never found, and both Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask think that each other died in the final battle. Mamoru has regained his memories (minus any about the princess) and Sailor Moon is still oblivious to her royalty. Read on to find out what happens in this alternate universe!
1. The Return of Moon

The airport was bustling with new arrivals and departures. Couples, families and friends waited for their loved ones to step eagerly through the arrival gates. Four girls stood off to one side waiting anxiously for one of their precious friends and leader to arrive. It had already been 2 years they hadn't seen Usagi Tsukino, and now they stood anxiously waiting for her arrival. They weren't sure what would meet them as their communication with her had been brief over the years and limited to email updates. As a result, they were both excited and apprehensiveness of her imminent arrival.

Usagi found herself walking through the airport slowly with her luggage in tow, as nerves began to mount. She was finally returning to her hometown and she wasn't sure if she was ready to do so yet. She had been travelling overseas and attending a university in the US to escape not only her life but her duties as the crime fighting leader of the Sailor Senshi: Sailor Moon.

Usagi had only been 14 years old when she found out she was the young heroine along with her friends Ami, Rei, Minako and Makoto. They had spent the better part of their nights fighting the Dark Kingdom and sacrificing other friendships, their families and grades to keep the world safe. It had been, and still was, a lot of pressure for the group. Usagi, in particular, had difficulties coping with the amount of pressure that came along with being their leader, and ever since their last fateful battle two years ago, she had not been the same. Now, it seemed like everything was starting again and she was forced to leave her blissful, and most importantly normal life, to come back to Juuban for fear of another evil mounting.

She found herself stopping at the washroom before the arrival gates to take a moment to collect her thoughts and to put on a brave face. As she did, she looked back at her reflection in the mirror. She still looked like the same Usagi but older. After all, she was now 20 years old (a young woman by any definition) and her features reflected this change. Anything that might have been lacking in her teen years was now fully present, although her height never caught up. Her blue cerulean eyes stared back at her with ennui and she tried to force a smile. If she didn't cheer up, her friends would see right through her masked smile. She reapplied some pink lip gloss and passed a hand through her pale golden locks which were still in their signature, pigtails and buns style. 'Pull yourself together,' she thought to herself as she straightened out her tank top and cardigan.

As she gave herself a mental pep talk she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the reason she was here. It had been almost 2 years since the last major attack from the Dark Kingdom and everyone had been living in relatively peaceful times. Recently, low grade yoma attacks had begun to increase and the rest of the Senshi urged Usagi to come back, for fear that a greater evil was building. The attacks were becoming more frequent and there was a sense of unrest in the city. Twice the Senshi had attempted to destroy a yoma but without Sailor Moon's additional powers they were struggling. Reluctantly, Usagi had agreed to return to Juuban District and to resume her life, as she once knew it. She had temporarily forgotten the troubles of being a Senshi or having to manage all of the pain and hurt that came with being the leader.

She recalled their last battle with Queen Beryl and Metalia, as she absentmindedly reapplied mascara, and shuddered at the thought of it. Nothing had gone right on that tragic day. She had witnessed the Senshi die before her eyes, as she tried to fight off the darkness. She wholeheartedly believed she was going to die, and honestly, she thought that she did. She could only remember snippets of the whole event and it still bothered her that she couldn't put all of the pieces together. She remembered standing in front of Metalia and arguing with her, as extreme pain began to course through her body, forcing her to crumble to the ground. She had gotten up countless times from the repeated attacks and tried to use her Moon Wand until she could no longer muster any energy. Lying on the cold ground, after the last fatal blow, she had recalled Tuxedo Mask running towards her to help her in her broken state but he never made it to her.

She recalled hearing herself scream as she was blasted across the terrain and then her heavy eyelids closed before she could fully comprehend the flash of light that engulfed him and the accompanying agonizing screams. As she listened to his screams lessen, she had felt a warm aura wash over her and a blinding light made her eyes flutter but she never awoke to see what created such a blissful feeling. Whatever had happened and whoever had saved them, managed to seal away Metalia and resurrect the Senshi. Her last thoughts before she lost complete consciousness was a gentle kiss being laid on her forehead and a woman whispering to her that she could now live in peace. After that moment everything went blank.

Usagi had woken up a week later in the hospital surrounded by her friends, who were all alive again. When questioned as to how everyone had survived they were unable to explain what happened, other than, a pure blinding white light had covered the sky and reawakened them. They indicated that they had found Usagi lying motionless in the debris of the aftershock, and when they couldn't wake her up; they panicked and faked a car accident to ensure that the cops wouldn't think there was foul play involved in the young girls injuries. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctors indicated she had suffered a blow to the head and multiple internal injuries, and would require several weeks to recuperate. They explained to her that she had been in and out of consciousness for a week.

Usagi remembered nodding groggily to all of the explanations but her biggest concern was what happened to Tuxedo Mask. She remembered the way she heard him scream and needed to know that he was safe. When she questioned her friends they simply lowered their heads and solemnly stated they had no clue what came of him in the battle and hadn't seen him since. While she didn't know his true identity, a part of Usagi's heart broke that day at the thought of having lost their Masked allie for her ineptitude as their leader. To this day, she still cursed herself for not having the strength to protect him, and for _him_ meeting his ultimate demise because of her failings.

She put her mascara away and began to pack up the cosmetics she had laid out on the counter. They had been so close to finding their Moon Princess and fulfilling their ultimate mission but when the situation with Metalia reached its peak, she never appeared. Three years later, no 6 years into the search, and they still had no clue where their elusive Princess was.

While Usagi was overseas the Senshi had continued their search but they never located the Princess, and any clues they previously had where no longer viable. She was still just as hidden as day 1 of their search. She vowed silently to have a harsh discussion with the Princess when she would finally show herself and ask her what took so long for her to materialise. Usagi had so much resentment towards the Princess and partially blamed her for Tuxedo Mask's supposed death.

She decided that she would stop her self-loathing and Princess-hating woes before she removed all the progress on the fake smile she had plastered across her features. She was happy to see her friends, but terribly disturbed about the circumstances. She grabbed her luggage and looked at herself one last time, and whispered, "It's show time…"

Making her way out of the washroom she walked towards the arrival exit and let the electronic doors open before her. It took her a moment to take in, what appeared to be 100s of people in front of her, and searched for her friends. It didn't take her very long to realise they were standing and squealing in the far right corner waving at her behind the corded off arrival section. She smiled and waved at them as true excitement started to course through her body. It turned out that _she was_ excited to see them and ran into the crowd to find them behind the corded section. She was met and practically tackled to the ground by the four screaming, excited girls.

"It's been so long… don't you dare EVER leave us like that again," Makoto said as she wrapped her arms around the petite blondes shoulders and pulled her in for a signature Kino-style bear hug. Usagi couldn't help but smile and threw her arms around the taller girl. The other girls joined in as the group of 5 spoke about missing each other and cried happily at the return of Usagi.

Usagi finally pulled away from the warm embraces and wiped her face from the tears that had mercilessly left mascara stains running down her cheeks. She should have known not to put any makeup before seeing the group. "Guys… I've missed you so much," she blurted out as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. She hadn't quite expected to be so emotional but seeing the girls in front of her reminded her of all the good and bad times they had. While she had made several friends overseas and she had enjoyed her time, she realised that she belonged with this core group of friends.

"Still a crybaby I see meatball head, huh?" Rei said arching an eyebrow teasingly as she wiped a few tears from her own face.

Usagi made to protest but Ami interrupted and gave Rei a stern look. "Now Rei… she's only been back for 5 minutes please don't start with the teasing."

Rei rolled her eyes still smiling and changed her gaze from Ami to Usagi. "I'm really happy you're back… It hasn't been the same without you. I really mean that. Turns out we need the 5 of us to really make things work, you know?" she said with a small smile. Rei had always been the most sceptical about Usagi's leadership skills and her combative style, or lack thereof. For her to be admitting that they needed her was unheard of.

Usagi forced a smile realising the implications of Rei's comment. "Thanks Rei... " she said reluctantly. "I'm really happy to be back too. I wish it was under different circumstances but I'm happy to be back. I can't promise I'll be great though. It _has_ been two years since I fought anything," she said lowering her voice.

Ami, the voice of reason spoke up indicating that perhaps they should take this conversation to somewhere more private. All the girls nodded and agreed that they should head back to the temple in order to debrief Usagi on all the happenings of the past few weeks and to catch up. They grabbed Usagi's bags and headed to the parking lot, piling into two cars and heading to the temple.

Usagi looked out of the car window as she saw her former life flash before her eyes. So many landmarks reminded her of the hurt and pain, while so many others reminded her of the good times. She averted her gaze from Tokyo Tower, which she saw in the distance, and momentarily closed her eyes. It was one thing thinking about that fateful night when they all fought to their deaths but it was another seeing the building still being reconstructed. She sighed deeply and for the rest of the drive to the temple remained silent.

* * *

An hour later the girls found themselves munching on pizza and talking about their lives over the past two years. It turned out that Ami and Rei both had boyfriends who they were madly in love with. They had met them over a year ago. Usagi couldn't help but smile at the revelation that they had found happiness. Makoto and Minako both sighed in exasperation noting that they were still on the prowl to find the right guys for them. Usagi couldn't help but laugh that her two lovestruck friends were still mercilessly trying to find love. She recalled countless, failed attempts to find boyfriends back in high school, and couldn't help but grin. They had been a sad bunch back then. Shaken out of her thoughts she noticed four pairs of eyes resting solely on hers.

"And what about you Usagi? Any hot american boyfriends?" Minako stated as she pressed for information.

Usagi felt the blush in her cheeks rise and shook her head. "No one in particular... I went on a few dates and the guys were nice but there wasn't really anyone that caught my attention. I was more focused on traveling at first and then when I got into University over there I really wanted to make sure that my grades were good. I guess you can say I studied a lot so I didn't have that much time for dating…" she said taking a small sip of her soda.

"OK wait… did you just say you were studying so you didn't have time for boyfriends?" Rei said standing up and stepping forward. She grabbed Usagi by the shoulders dramatically and shook her slightly. "Who are YOU and what have you done with our irresponsible, non-studying, boycrazy Meatball head?" she said with a little laugh. "You have to admit this all sounds crazy, right guys?" She said turning around and throwing them a glance, as the others erupted into laughter.

Usagi stared back at her friends and knew they would have a hard time believing her but it had been 2 years. A lot could have changed in that amount of time, and at the comments, Usagi felt extremely defensive, even though she knew they were meant to be taken in stride. Nonetheless, she snapped. "Well Rei… Sorry to disappoint you but I've grown up. I guess dying or nearly dying will change a girls perspective…" She got up from her place on the floor, "I'm sorry but I need some air…" she said stepping out of the room as she fought back the tears and made her way outside.

The other girls were left staring blankly at Usagi's empty spot. Makoto was the first to speak, "Is it just me or has she been a little off since she's come back?"

Ami smiled at her sadly and corrected Makoto's statement. "Mako… she's been different far before that. Ever since we had the battle with Metalia she's been different. She still won't tell us what happened to Tuxedo Mask and his death… She must have seen something, and she's never been able to bounce back." She paused lowering her eyes, "I had hoped that by traveling overseas and putting this all behind her, she would be ok but it doesn't seem to have worked that way."

"Well someone needs to talk to her. Not that I'm opposed to her taking life a little more seriously, but it's the fact that she still seems so hurt about everything that happened," Mako said getting up. "I'll go talk to her and see if I can get anything out of her," she said walking towards the door. She turned her head back to the girls, "I know our Usagi is under there, we just need to coax her into coming out." With that she closed the door behind her and walked around the temple in an attempt to find Usagi. After a few minutes she finally found her looking over the edge of the wall that surrounded the temple. She approached her slowly as she appeared to be deep in thought.

Usagi looked out blankly on to the city below her, and watched the twinkling lights and bustling people below her. She sighed loudly cursing herself for her outburst. She felt like everything she had tried so hard to suppress including the guilt over their last battle, having left the Senshi and enjoying being away, was coming back to the surface. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the oncoming steps. She turned her head and saw Makoto smiling sweetly back at her.

"Are you ok Usagi? We can't help but notice that ever since you've been back you've been… quiet."

Usagi faked a smile and tried to shrug off Makoto. "I'm fine really… I think I'm just in shock to be back here, you know. And I've probably got some jet lag… I'm sure that after a few days I'll be better."

Makoto put a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder and gently turned her to face her. "If you want to blame it on that, I'm ok with it but know that if ever you need to talk about _anything_ we're here for you, ok? We always have been and always will be. And no matter what happened in the past or the future we'll always stand by you," she stated softly and brought her friend into a warm hug. "So whenever you feel like opening up… just let me know ok?"

Usagi nodded into her friends shoulder as she hugged her back. She was extremely grateful that Mako didn't press the issue any further. She didn't want to explain any of the emotions that were going through her at this moment or her doubts in her Senshi skills. She let go of the hug reluctantly and looked up at her friend. "Thanks Mako. I'll definitely take you up on that offer, when I'm good and ready. I just need to ease back into our old lives and once I do I'm sure I'll feel less anxious about everything."

Makoto nodded and put an arm around her shoulder. "Makes sense to me. Now how about we go back to the others and have some yummy dessert. It's your favourite: chocolate cake."

At the mention of chocolate Usagi's eyes lit up. "Did you make it?"

"Of course I did. So how about we go cut you a big piece and get on with the evening?" she said winking at her as she guided her back to the others. Usagi happily followed even though she was still trying to work through her emotions.

Thankfully when Usagi and Makoto returned, the girls didn't mention Usagi's outburst and pretended that nothing happened. The rest of the evening was spent talking about everyone's lives and what had transpired over the past two years. The evening eventually took a more serious turn as Luna and Ami explained the surge of yoma attacks across the district. They explained that the attacks had started 3 weeks ago, and that they were intensifying in frequency. They also admitted the yomas were harder to destroy. Luna and Ami had been trying to find the source behind the attacks but the origin of the attacks and the powers behind them always fluctuated. As a result, they couldn't pinpoint their source.

Even Rei had tried to summon the great fire to help locate the evil and there were no clues given. While she was aware that there was an evil lurking, it was well hidden. They were constantly shooting in the dark trying to figure out when the next attack would come and most importantly from where. They had determined there was no choice but to call Usagi back home as they needed all Senshi present with the unease spreading.

At the end of the evening, Usagi found herself lying in her makeshift bed along with her friends sprawled out across the Temple training room. They had decided to all sleepover over at Rei's, and while most of the girls slept (or so it seemed they were) Usagi lay awake staring at the ceiling. She recalled the evening's events and now had a better understanding of why she needed to return. That being said, she couldn't help the unease growing in the pit of her stomach at the mounting attacks. Everything felt the same as last time, and she was unsure whether she was ready to face those demons again especially without Tuxedo Masks help. She knew she had to rid herself of her aversion to fighting and finally deal with the fact that Tuxedo Mask wouldn't be a part of her life anymore.

She turned to her side and closed her eyes trying to force herself to sleep. Eventually, her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.

Soon, she found herself standing in darkness with a flickering red light in the distance. Instinctively, she started walking towards the light, and as it grew brighter her eyes focused on the scene before her. As she approached the scene, she realized that she was witnessing the battle with Metalia from the sidelines. She couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh at the fact that her subconscious was making her dream of such things. She was also hyper aware of the fact that she was dreaming, which was unsettling to her. She slowly crept up to the scene and wondered what would happen if she just walked through. Before she could move forward a hand reached out to her shoulder and gently pulled her back.

"Just watch," she heard the voice whisper and turned around to see who was holding her back. The minute she turned around the figure disappeared leaving her standing by herself. She took the strangers advice and stayed back watching herself being blasted repeatedly by Metalia. She listened intently as her final words were replayed.

"You…" she heard herself strain as she got up one last time. "You can hit me as many times as you want… but you won't break my spirit," she hissed. "Evil will never win over good…" She saw herself clutching her arm and dropping to her knees. Tears were falling down her cheeks and mixing with the dirt and blood on her face. "You'll never win…"

Metalia's figure manifested itself in front of Sailor Moon tormenting her. "Little girl, you think that you can defeat me without your friends? I took care of them in one shot and they were much stronger than you."

She watched Sailor Moon glare back at Metalia as she fought back the tears. Sailor Moon lifted her wand and through gritted teeth stated, "You may have taken them away from me but I will make you pay," she said shoving the wand into Metalia's chest and focusing her power. An impressive surge of power blasted through Metalia but she retaliated quickly with a sardonic laugh and sent an incredible amount of dark energy towards Sailor Moon. The wand was knocked out of her hands as she was flung backwards, skidding across the cold floor, until she finally lay unmoving on her side.

Usagi couldn't help but wince as she saw herself violently hit the ground and unconsciously clutched her chest, remembering the pain that had coursed through her body. Her eyes darted to the left in hopes to finally find out what happened to Tuxedo Mask. She could see him starting to run towards her fallen body screaming for her to wake up and cursing Metalia.

A flash of light wrapped around his body and it looked like he… transformed. 'Wait, what?' she thought to herself as she saw him wearing what appeared to be armour but she couldn't see his face. She tried to step forward to get a better look and see his identity. Unfortunately, she was distracted by a flash of light coming from where her body lay. She saw a woman standing over her wearing a white gown and holding a staff before her. She tried to make out any distinctive features but everything seemed blurred in front of her. She tried to force herself to focus but she was unable to make any sense of it. The more she focused on what was happening before her, the more she lost sight of the battle, and the more she heard her name being called. Who was calling her? The scene finally faded from in front of her, and her eyes flew open revealing four worried faces staring back at her.

"Usagi..." Minako asked cautiously. "Are you ok? You were thrashing and screaming in your sleep… we couldn't wake you up."

Usagi blinked several times and placed a hand to her forehead (she was sweating). "Um…" she said hesitantly trying to piece everything together. "I'm not sure what happened…" she said truthfully. She explained to the girls what she had seen and Ami simply stated that it was her mind trying to tell her what really happened that night. Usagi reluctantly accepted the explanation and wondered if she would continue to be plagued by such memories haunting her dreams. She felt like there was a reason she was told to relive that moment. There had been a voice telling her to watch what happened. Tuxedo Mask had definitely transformed. Did he die afterwards? What happened to him after the woman with the staff manifested herself? All of these questions plagued Usagi as she attempted to fall back asleep. Even though she finally succumbed to her fatigue she fell into a dreamless non-restful sleep.

* * *

Mamoru's eyes flew open after having one of the most vivid dreams he had, had in months. Sitting up in his bed clutching his head, he realized that he was starting to relive _that day_ all over again. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed he placed his head in-between his knees trying to calm his nerves and avoid a panic attack. It had taken him months to accept that he was unable to save Sailor Moon and that her untimely demise had been due to his failures. He still couldn't live with himself knowing that he couldn't save her. Reliving that day was just cruel and he hated his mind for forcing him to see her suffer once again.

In the days following the battle, he thought that she was ok but he quickly realised that he couldn't _feel or sense_ her anymore. She never called on him and no matter what he did to reach out to her, he was met with nothing. He had hoped for another attack just to see if she would transform and call to him but it never happened. He had even tried to transform into his alter ego to call to her, but he found that he could no longer transform. To him, this was the final nail in the proverbial coffin. His transformations had always been linked to Sailor Moon, and if he could no longer transform, it only meant 2 things: 1) she lost her powers or 2) she had perished in the fight against Metalia. Having witnessed the extent of her injuries during the battle he assumed that it was the latter.

To fuel his thoughts more, in recent weeks, he had witnessed the Senshi fighting without Sailor Moon which only confirmed to him that she was gone. He hated himself for that blasted night and having been knocked unconscious in the most important fight of his life. Flopping back onto the bed he stared at the ceiling and closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing rather than his jumbled thoughts about the past and vowed to redeem himself somehow. He wasn't sure how but he knew there would come a time when he would be called upon to protect the Senshi, and he would gladly do it to honour their fallen leader.

He exhaled deeply trying to keep his emotions in check and focused on the positive from that ordeal instead of the negative. After the battle, he regained some of his memories about his previous life, and was finally able to determine who he was. It was revealed to him that in his former life he was the Prince of Earth, Prince Endymion, and that he was destined to protect this planet.

While most of his memories had been revealed to him, he still could not remember, one of the most important pieces of his previous life: The Moon Princess. She had been his great love and he died protecting her, but in this lifetime he had yet to find her or remember who she was. It pained him that these memories were still trapped under lock and key in his mind. Even his four loyal Kings (Nephrite, Jadeite, Kunzite and Zoisite), which had been reborn along with him, could not recall who she was. He was convinced that she had presented herself that fateful night, however, no one was there to witness it other than him and he couldn't recall most of the night.

Frustrated, he sighed deeply closing his eyes wondering when life would get easier. The Kings and him, had been searching relentlessly for the past two years for the Princess but they couldn't locate her. There were no clues about who she was, where the Silver Crystal was or whether she was even reborn in this world. The Senshi had been searching for the same thing and all of their searches came up empty handed as well. He wasn't sure how the Kings were keeping tabs on the Senshi but they were, in order to make sure that all of their searches were streamlined.

"Ughhh…." he said to no one in particular. "Stop thinking about all of this," he complained. "No good EVER comes from thinking about all of this," he said as he rearranged himself in his bed and flopped his head onto his pillow. 'Think about something else...' he thought and his thoughts slowly drifted away from the woes of his Princess and Sailor Moon, to another worry that plagued his mind from time to time: Usagi Tsukino.

Even though she was annoying and immature, he missed his Odango. It seemed that everything in his life crumpled at the same time and he wondered how she was faring overseas. When he learned from his best friend Motoki that Usagi was taking a trip overseas, he had nearly spit out his coffee. He couldn't believe that his Odango was leaving. He was also quite alarmed at the reaction he had regarding the girl and how much it hurt to have her leave. He often thought about her and missed his little encounters with the trainwreck.

He had heard from Zoisite that she was studying abroad and that she was doing quite well for herself. He wondered if she still had a knack for videogames, still liked chocolate milkshakes or was still klutzy. He missed bumping into her and teasing her. He knew that at 24 years old he should be over his silly (and wrong) attraction to the girl but he couldn't help it. She had such a joie de vivre and she made him smile, which was a difficult feat. He hoped that he'd be able to bump into her again one day, and that they could restart their rivalry. He needed a cute blonde to pick on, no he needed _his_ cute little blonde to pick on. With a small smile on his face he drifted off into sleep thinking about all the failed women in his life not realising they were the same person.


	2. Odango vs Baka

A week had gone by since Usagi had returned and she was starting to settle into her new routine. She had successfully transferred into Juuban University, enrolled into all of her classes, acquired an apartment off campus and reconnected with her friends. All that was missing were the supposed attacks that were happening prior to her arrival. Since she had returned, it seemed that the attacks had stalled, and there wasn't much to do as a Senshi. As a result, there were a lot of late evening catch ups with the girls along with some training. Usagi thanked the stars, everyday, for the delay in attacks, as it gave her an opportunity to truly settle back in, and work on her fighting skills.

Even though she was trying to work on settling back into her role as the Leader of the Senshi, she was having difficulties managing her mounting anxiety about her capacity as the leader. It had been 2 years and she found that she was more than a little rusty. To make things worse, she wasn't sleeping. Since she had returned to Juuban she was having terrible dreams at night which were keeping her awake. She couldn't make heads or tails of them and didn't understand why she was plagued with snippets of fallen kingdoms, the Senshi, and lots of death. She was convinced that she was dreaming about the Princess but she could never see her face. She wondered what her dreams meant and whether they were an ominous warning for the future. As a result, she was barely getting a couple of hours of sleep per night and her stamina was starting to dwindle.

Today, in particular she felt like a zombie as she walked around campus trying to find her class. She checked the campus map for the umpteeth time and focused on the buidling before her. 'Finally,' she uttered as she realized that she was in the right place. She readjusted her tote bag and walked into the building with determination. She knew she'd be met with stares (she was the new kid after all and they were already 4 weeks into class) so she decided she would be uncharacteristically early. Checking her watch one last time she noted that there was still 10 minutes before the start of class and sighed in relief. She adjusted her clothing to make sure that she looked presentable and walked into the classroom.

Avoiding eye contact with everyone in the classroom (there were only a handful) she attempted to take a seat.

"Odango?" Mamoru exclaimed in disbelief as he saw the blonde bombshell walk by him trying to take a seat. He saw her do a double take as the realisation of who he was spread across her face. She went from having a serene looking expression to one of the utmost annoyance. He'd always loved how expressive she was, and how fiery she would get when she was annoyed. It looked like today would be no different, as he saw fire burn in her eyes. Gods, how he had missed that glare and the little huffs she made when she was angry. Seeing her, for the first time since she left, he realized how much he had missed his Odango, and he fought the urge to embrace her.

"OF COURSE!" she said turning around to glare at him. "Why wouldn't you be in my class? Out of all the possible scenarios, of course you, the ever so arrogant Mamoru Chiba has to be in MY class," she putting her hands on her hips. She couldn't believe that he was standing before her, with those midnight blue eyes that she loved to hate, staring back at her. She hadn't seen him since she left and still he made her heart flutter with his taunting nickname for her, and his arrogant lopsided smile. She hated that she found him good looking in the first place, with his luscious black hair that always seemed to be untamed, his tall frame and his muscular built. She tried to push the long lost feelings she had for her childhood tormentor and focused her efforts on giving him the dirtiest look she could muster.

"I see you're still feisty Odango… I guess age didn't really change your maturity level, huh?" he said leaning casually against the wall and crossing his arms. He knew that he shouldn't tease her, and honest to gods he tried not to do it. But there was something about her that made him, no forced him, to interact with her. It's not that he liked her (he tried to convince himself) but he had an incessant need to tease her. He always cursed himself after the fact, when he saw her clear cerulean eyes brim with tears or her cheeks flush, that's when he would realize that he had gone too far or that he should really try to stop teasing the girl. He couldn't help it though even though he quite liked her presence.

When he was younger, he'd wait patiently at the arcade, sipping his coffee, waiting for Hurricane Usagi to enter. He'd wait to hear her laugh, hear her ridiculous stories but most importantly, he just wanted to see her. The only person who knew of his secret affections (he suspected) was Motoki. He had always been team Mamoru-Usagi and would come up with all kinds of schemes to put the two in precarious situations even though Mamoru tried to deny his feelings for the girl. How could he be attracted to someone so different than him and immature. Lost in his thoughts he barely noticed her taking a step towards him and raising an eyebrow.

"You're an ass. You really think that I haven't matured yet? What about you? You're like a hundred years old and still in school," she attacked. "Shouldn't you have graduated by now? Also, shouldn't you stop harassing girls, or me in particular? You're too old for playing these stupid childish games Mamoru," she said maliciously.

"Hey, whoa!" he said throwing up his hands in defense. "First of all, I'm not that much older than you. I'm 24 so let's calm down on my age and second of all, I'm not harassing anybody. We're just two old friends reconnecting. And finally, I'm a TA in this class. So how about you start treating me with some respect?"

"Oh gods you're a TA in this class? Perfect… just fan-fricking-tastic," she said throwing her arms in the air. "I'm not taking this class. I could handle you teasing me all throughout High School but I cannot take you having control over my grades or having to deal with your incessant need to make my life a living hell," she said as she beelined for the door.

Mamoru, would be lying if he said that he wasn't slightly taken aback from her outburst. Sure, he teased her, and sure he could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but to have her say that she couldn't live with the fact that he would make her life hell, was a little harsh. He never did it on purpose and she wasn't so well behaved either.

Glancing around at the students filing into the classroom he realised that he made quite the scene and that everyone was staring at him standing there open mouthed from Usagi's departure. The last thing he needed, in his academic career, was for her to run her mouth to anyone who would listen about his behaviour. Realizing that he needed to chase her and calm her down, he stepped out of the classroom searching for her. He spotted her stalking down the hallway and ran after her. "Odango," he said softly grabbing her wrist in an attempt to slow her down and turn her towards him.

Through the murderous thoughts about ending Mamoru's life once and for all, Usagi felt a hand close around her wrist, and her name being softly spoken. She knew it was him before he even spoke as she felt the electricity pulsate through her from his touch. Even though she hated him, most of the time, she couldn't help but have her breath catch in her throat as his fingers slowly wrapped around her wrist and then her hand, in an attempt to turn her around. Her cheeks flushed slightly from the familiar touch and sparks that usually occurred when he was in close proximity. She turned to face him with a defiant look in her eyes, "That's not my name and until you call me by my name I'm not going to listen to you," she said trying to remove his hand from hers. She needed to be able to think straight and having him latched onto her was only sending mixed signals to her brain.

Mamoru sighed and let go of her. Part of him, didn't want to but he knew it would look bizarre to continue holding onto her, especially with the amount of struggle she was putting up against him. "Look Usagi," he said emphasizing her name. "How about you come back to the classroom and we can start over. I was just excited to see you… it's been quite a long time and I never expected to see YOU of all people stroll into a Calculus class. You have to admit that it's a little ridiculous, right?"

"Because I'm stupid?" she said folding her arms. "That's why it's ridiculous right? Still judging me from when I was 14? That's just lovely. I see that you haven't changed one bit," she said pouting and turning her body to leave.

"Wait," he said more forcefully than he intended, and she turned back to face him. "I'm sorry. Really I am. We've never been good at talking to each other, so can we both just take a breather and start over?" he said trying to be the peacemaker. "I realize that you've grown up ok? You're probably like 20 now," he said to her, but to himself he admitted that he knew she was more like 20 years, 3 months… and 6 days... He cursed himself for remembering such minute details about the girl's life, and felt like the stalker, he was starting to think he was.

"Yes and?" she pressed, interested to see how long it would take him to once again insult her. In her past experience, it would take no less than 1 or 2 normal sentences until he would make fun of her or belittle her. She started the countdown in her head, as she watched him explain himself.

"Well, I'm sure things have changed. We're both older now and more experienced with life, so we should probably act like it right?" he said pausing to ensure that she was listening to him. Content with her periodic nodding he continued, "So I apologise for insinuating that you were stupid, and that it was odd that you are taking a Calculus class. I, honest to gods, would have never thought you would be interested in something like that. You hated math back in High School..."

"Well, apology accepted baka," she said softly. "And you're right, I do hate math but I have to take it for my program, so I'm stuck," she admitted with a small smile.

"Ah now that makes sense!" he admitted. "Now... if you were thinking of taking that class, we better head back because it's about to start," he said motioning to the clock above them.

Usagi nodded in agreement and was about to follow him into the classroom when she heard a small beeping coming from her bag. 'Oh no… not now,' she thought as panic started to course through her veins at the sound of her communicator going off. She looked at Mamoru uncomfortably and tried to force a smile.

"On second thought, I don't think I'll be coming to class today," she said distractedly as she tried to find the communicator in her bag. "I guess we'll have to take a raincheck. Seems like I'm needed elsewhere," she said with a small wink, as she looked up from her bag.

"Ok…" he said hesitantly as he watched her fumble with her bag.

'What was that beeping sound and why did she become so nervous at it?' he thought to himself. Having known her for several years he could tell when she felt uncomfortable and she was definitely displaying those traits right now. Not letting it stop him, he decided to press on about the class, as nothing could be more important than missing it, "but you really shouldn't be missing class. You've already missed a bunch," he concluded and watched her expression carefully.

"I know that," she said sternly, "I just need to…" her words were interrupted as screams filled the hallway. She looked behind her and saw a yellow mist slowly clouding the hallway, and what she could only describe as two tree like yomas, picking up students randomly and stealing their energy. The mist continued to move in front of the yomas and Usagi noticed that if the mist touched anybody, it knocked them unconscious making it easy for the yomas to take its victims. She watched the yomas carefully as they walked with force against the tiled floor, leaving broken tiles in their wake. The yomas had a tree-like physique with several small vines sprouting from its back and towards their victims. Their arms were made of multiple razor sharp branches which they used to plunge into its victims before stealing their energy.

Frozen in fear at seeing her first yomas in years, Usagi didn't move until Mamoru grabbed her hand and was screaming at her to run (threatening to pick her up if she didn't react.) Her senses kicked in and she started running along side Mamoru. Looking over at him, as they ran, she realized there was something oddly familiar about the look in his eyes. She couldn't place it and tried to ignore the familiarity of everything that was happening around her, and focused instead on making sure that she ran at the same speed as Mamoru, and didn't trip.

They burst through the side doors of the building and ran to the other side of the field that rested beside the Science and Mathematics building they had just been in. Mamoru tightened his grip on Usagi's hand, as she started to slow her pace and encouraged her to keep up.

Usagi's breathing was erratic as she tried to keep up with Mamoru, and he coached her to run faster. Through gritted teeth she told him that she was doing the best she could and cursed herself for not keeping up with her cardio while she was abroad. They continued running until they reached the bleachers at the other side of the field and Mamoru brought both of them beneath the seats. He came to a sudden halt, having found the perfect hiding place and Usagi smashed into him, not realizing they were stopping. She tumbled to the ground, "ugh…" she moaned as she picked herself up and glared at him. "You could have warned me you were stopping!" she screeched.

"You should have been paying more attention," he hissed back and he peered through the bleachers. "Now, be quiet. We don't want that thing to find us," he said looking at her. His mind was racing. He had never seen yomas on campus nor ones that were so strong. He prayed to the gods that it would stay contained to the Science and Mathematics building, and that it wouldn't venture out on campus. If it did, it would be a complete disaster especially that they were sitting ducks, and he couldn't do anything while Usagi was standing beside him. His thoughts were once again interrupted by the incessant beeping coming from Usagi's bag and he looked down at it.

"Are you going to get that? It's a little annoying plus if that thing comes out here, it's acting as a homing device for it to find us."

Usagi didn't know what to do. She realized that her communicator kept on going off, of course it was. The first yomas she had seen in two years was within 100 meters of her. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well transform in front of Mamoru-baka and she sighed. "I know… I'm sorry let me just see what they want ok?" she lied as she pretended to look for her communicator and her cellphone. She prayed that at least one Senshi had not transformed yet. Finding her communicator first, she saw Sailor Mars glaring at her on the screen and immediately turned it off (they'd kill her for that later on). Last thing she needed was for Mamoru to witness a full blown fight between her and Sailor Mars. It would definitely leave little to the imagination as to who she really was. Instead, she grabbed her cellphone and started furiously texting:

Group Text 13:42pm: Guys… I don't know if you're all transformed or not but I'm stuck with Mamoru! I can't transform… WHAT DO I DO?!

Makoto 13:42pm: I'm not there yet. I'm still trying to get through the screaming hordes of students. If you can't transform just stay back but the minute you lose him, come join us. I'll tell the others.

Rei 13:43pm: YOU SHUT YOUR COMMUNICATOR?! I SAW YOU… you willingly shut it USAGI… HOW DARE YOU SHUT IT ON YOUR FIRST ATTACK BACK? ARE YOU THAT IRRESPONSIBLE?

Rei 13:43pm: Oh wait.. I just saw your text. Sorry about that… Um… No worries just join us afterwards… LOSE HIM as fast as you can. Also, how is it that you managed to bump into him already?

Usagi 13:43pm: REI should you really be texting right now? I'll tell you later…

And with that she put her phone back in her pocket. "It was just the girls," she said truthfully. "They… uh...just wanted to know when I would show up for our study session," she lied. I mean, technically she could consider what's happening a study session. They'd probably be analyzing the yoma's moves, right?

Mamoru put a hand through his hair in exasperation. He never did understand Usagi, how was it that she was so calm in this situation, talking about her friends and not having a care in the world. Any other girl would have been a complete mess but not her which puzzled him to no end.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Usagi asked as she realized that the silence had been deafening between the two, and Mamoru was giving her the most peculiar look. "Do I have something on my face?" she said instinctively moving her hand to her face.

Shaking his head he apologized and indicated that he was just wondering what to do next. They spent the next few minutes simply surveying the area and ensuring that the yoma was no where near them. There were no signs of the yomas on the lower field, which Usagi took as her sign to make an exit.

"Well," Usagi started as she grabbed her bag from the floor. "Looks like the coast is clear. So thank you for the jog but I really should be on my way," she said looking for the nearest exit.

"I really don't think that you should go out there by yourself, odango," he said watching her trying to look for an exit. He straightened out a little and tilted his head, "Are you THAT in a rush to get away from me, that you'd risk having a yoma attack you?"

"Like, you would care anyway," she replied quickly (old habits die hard). "I'm surprised you even got me out of the school, and that you didn't push me to my death!"

Hurt by her words, he said nothing for a moment. Did she really think that of him? Did she seriously think that he was the type of person that would leave someone behind. He had gone through enough hardship in this life, that he wouldn't allow people around him to perish or push them into danger. He narrowed his eyes, "If you're looking for an exit, it's there" he said pointing to the opening. "But allow me first, wouldn't want you to think I'd push you to your death," he said walking towards it and slipping out.

Usagi stood stunned by Mamoru's reaction for a few seconds. She didn't really mean anything by her comments, she thought it was just their thing to insult each other and wish death upon one another. Never, did she think that he would have taken it so seriously. "Wait Mamoru," she yelled after him as she stepped out from under the bleachers. Looking around her she couldn't find him at all. She sighed in exasperation, at having hurt him and solemnly made her way back to the building in order to find the Senshi and help defeat the yoma.

As she ran back, she felt the air around her becoming colder and thinner, and realized that she was shivering. The closer she got to the school the more she realized that she needed to transform as soon as possible. Ducking behind a tree and looking through her bag she found her brooch. Placing her bag down, she took a deep breath and thrust the compact into the air, "Moooon…" she was cut off abruptly as she lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. Her brooch bounced away from her as she let out a scream of desperation.

One of the yomas had snuck up behind her and sent a vine to enlace itself around her ankle. Before she could even shout out her transformation phrase it had yanked at her ankle forcing her to tumble to the ground. She felt it tighten its grip and let out a shrill scream as the yoma started to drag her towards it. She clawed at the ground in an attempt to stop herself from moving towards the yoma, and finally was able to anchor herself with the curb of the sidewalk, kicking and screaming.

Holding on for dear life she hoped that the senshi would show up soon. She needed someone to help her, and choked out a small help, as she finally lost her grip. She felt the vines slowly moving up her leg and then the other making sure to hold her completely captive. She used both of her hands to pry away the vines as it made it's way up her legs but the more she struggled, the tighter of a hold the yoma had on her. She looked at the yoma, as it continued to pull her towards it, grinning and hissing more energy. She saw the thick yellow cloud approaching and the minute it hit her body she went limp and felt herself relax, and stopped struggling.

She let the mist envelop her and take away the fear that was coursing through her body. She knew that she should be fighting but she couldn't, she had lost all ability to move. The yoma stood over her and knelt down to grab both of her shoulders, piercing through them with its razor sharp claws. It didn't hurt, she realized and let the yoma take her energy. Her eyelids were becoming heavier and her vision was blurring. She closed and opened her eyes, cursing herself for not fighting harder, for not being a better Senshi, for always failing. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she saw what seemed to be a flash of red hit the yoma square in the face, and it released it's hold on her. She felt herself being grabbed gently and whisked away from danger just as she lost consciousness.

* * *

Mamoru had been watching the scene from afar and knew that he needed to do something. He couldn't have anything happen to her. Every fibre in his body was screaming at him to save her. Since Sailor Moon's disappearance (or death) he hadn't been able to transform but he could still generate roses. He willed himself to create his deadly weapon, and threw it at the yoma. He prayed that it would be enough to at least distract it, at the very least, and give him enough time to get Usagi out of there. The fates were in his favour and everything went according to plan. He lifted Usagi into his arms and he quickly ran away making sure that the yoma wouldn't be following him. He could see the Senshi making their way to the battle scene (again without Sailor Moon), and the familiar feeling of guilt started brewing in the the pit of his stomach. He pushed away the guilt that he felt over Sailor Moon, and attempted to focus on getting Usagi to safety. If he couldn't save Sailor Moon, he'd damn well make sure that he would save his Odango.

Realizing that he was only a few blocks away from his apartment, he decided that the best course of action was to take her there, knowing full well that no hospital or clinic could help her. The type of attack she had sustained could not be cured by traditional medicine. Instead, she would need to rest, and seeing that he honestly didn't know where she lived, he would bring her to his apartment. Walking up to his apartment building and into the lobby, he was met with a bizarre stare from the doorman.

"What can I say? I told her not to drink so much, so early in the day. But did she listen? Nope…" he stated somewhat nervously. "That's what she gets for being such a lush sometimes," he joked around in hopes that they wouldn't call the police. Last thing he needed was for the doorman to think he was some sort of weirdo rapist. It was so far from the truth that he just prayed he'd agree.

The doorman chuckled. "She's a tiny one… makes sense that she wouldn't be able to hold her liquor," he said eyeing her. "You've got yourself a cute one there," he said winking, as his stare lingered on the shirt that had slightly risen up revealing her stomach. "Tell the little missy that she should slow down on the drinking."

Mamoru felt himself tense as the doorman looked her up and down, and commented on her looks. He readjusted her in his arms and lowered her shirt, trying to push away the urge to punch him. What was happening to him, he thought, as he simply nodded to the guy, and got into the elevator. He hated that Usagi was making him feel like he used to, and that he was still unable to control his emotions around her. When he was in front of his door, he struggled to find his keys and finally unlocked his door. Stepping inside he marched over to his black leather couch and gently placed Usagi down. He grabbed the blanket from the other couch and placed it over her. Chancing a glance, he couldn't help but think that she looked so angelic lying there, and moved a stray piece of hair from her forehead.

"Couldn't make her fall in love with you, so you took her by force?" a tall, long haired blonde man stated as he stepped into the living room.

Mamoru nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of another voice in his usually deserted apartment. He glared back at his friend, "How did you get in Zoisite?" he hissed and stepped away from Usagi, straightening himself out. He tried to look uninterested as he glared at his friend.

"The front door," he said with a crooked grin.

Mamoru sighed, "Why are you here? If you we're trying to give me a heart attack you nearly did. So happy?" he said crossing his arms.

"Oh come on Mamoru, don't be such a party pooper," Zoisite mused. "it's not everyday that we get to catch you bringing in an unconscious girl into your apartment, AND that the girl just so happens to be your precious little Odango. Where has she been hiding anyway?"

Mamoru smacked his forehead and sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you guys that I don't have feelings for her…"

"We found out she's the Princess," Zoisite interrupted.

Against his better judgement, Mamoru's face lit up, there was no hiding that for a split second he was the happiest man in the world, and then he realized as Zoisite doubled over laughing, that it had all been a ruse. In that moment, he hated himself more than Zoisite. Even after all this time he secretly hoped that the connection he felt towards Usagi was because of their past together, but all of the research the Kings had done had turned up nothing. Usagi definitely wasn't the Princess - she was unremarkable, as Kunzite liked to call her. And now having Zoisite laughing at his failed attempt to mask his feelings was sending him over the edge.

"Oh come on, that was pretty funny," he said in-between breaths. "Why don't you just admit it?"

"You caught me off-guard… I don't like her. She's annoying, careless, clumsy, too bubbly, a crybaby, and I can go on. I just… I had to help her, she got attacked by a yoma, ok? Now how about you help me out and make sure that she's ok. She was hit pretty badly and it took a lot of her energy…" he said as he walked to his washroom and got a first aid kit.

Zoisite looked over Usagi, and mumbled to her, "he can deny it all he wants but he definitely has the hots for you, missy..." He placed a hand against her arm and closed his eyes noting that her energy seemed to be coming back at a relatively good pace. He noticed that she had already regained some colour to her cheeks and her skin was not as cold as it should be. If her energy had been drained he wondered how she could be recovering so quickly. It would take a normal petite girl like her potentially days to recover, yet she seemed to be recovering at an accelerated pace.

"So?" Mamoru asked as he stood behind Zoisite.

"She seems fine.. honestly. I don't understand how she can be coping so well if she had energy taken from her. She'll probably be up in a few hours vs days. She already looks better than when she came in," he noted scratching his chin. "It's very bizarre…"

Mamoru shrugged and kneeled down beside Usagi carefully lifting the material of her shirt from where the yomas claws had pierced through her shoulders. He could see the dried blood around the little punctured holes. "How mad do you think she'll be if she wakes up and I've tended to her wounds…" he asked tentatively looking at Zoisite.

"Well, from what you've told me. She'll scream at you and accuse you of being a perverted rapist," he said with a chuckle.

"Ok then you do it," he said throwing the kit at Zoisite. "Then she can't be mad at me. She doesn't know you..."

"Oh no, my Prince, you wanted to save the damsel in distress, now you have to fix her up. I don't need hysterical wailing and accusations flying my way. I, unlike you, have a girlfriend and I would like for it to stay that way, especially that they are friends," he said throwing back the kit at Mamoru.

Mamoru caught the kit and rolled his eyes. "Why are you here Zoisite, you still didn't explain that to me. If you're going to be a pest, you might as well tell me why," he said as he opened up the medical kit and decided to tempt the fates one more time and clean Usagi's wounds. He was careful to only move her shirt off of her shoulders and not take it off completely. He couldn't even comprehend how angry she would be if she woke up without her shirt on or if he was in the process of taking it off.

Broken out of his thoughts, Zoisite started to explain why he was there. "Well, we wanted to let you know that with the increasing attacks around the city, you need to start becoming more prudent about where you go. You're not exactly fully powered up, so you could be a danger to yourself and if, whoever is doing this, realizes that you're the Prince, you'd be defenseless. So we just wanted to warn you and let you know that we might need to protect you on a rotational basis."

"Absolutely not," Mamoru retorted as he poured some alcohol onto some cotton balls and dabbed at Usagi's wounds. "I don't need to be watched 24/7 by you guys. I realize that you guys have to protect me, and that's your duty, but I am quite capable of protecting myself. I don't need babysitters."

Zoisite flopped down onto the couch opposite from Usagi and thought carefully about his response. "We can't afford you being killed or taken Mamoru. The fact that there are new attacks and that they are focused within the Juuban district can't be a coincidence. There has to be a link between you and the targets," he admitted.

Mamoru couldn't help but roll his eyes at his General. "Zoi, look I know you mean well but we haven't been able to prove that anything is linked to me ok?"

"Sure, that makes sense. So the attack today at the school, in your faculty building was a coincidence? The attack at your gym was a coincidence? The attack at the arcade was a coincidence?"

Mamoru interrupted with a small mumble, "in my defense I haven't been to the arcade in months…"

"Ok let's continue… the attack at the park where you jog was a coincidence? The cafe where you get your coffee... A coincidence? Shall I continue?"

Mamoru sighed as he sat down on the floor leaning against the couch that Usagi was lying on. "Ok, fine. It does seem a little bizarre that they are attacking all of those places. In my defense though a lot of people frequent those places and it really could be a coincidence." He placed a hand through his hair and sighed leaning his head back against the couch, "What are you guys suggesting, and why didn't Kunzite deliver this news himself?"

"I believe his exact words were, Zoisite," he started in his best Kunzite expression. "The Prince will believe that he has a say in the matter if you approach him. You are playful and he'll think that you will negotiate on this matter. Do not… And it went something like that," he said grinning.

"You guys are so annoying… I already know I have no choice in the matter, so fine. Guard me or whatever, but know that I will not tolerate having you in my classes with me. That's where I draw the line. You can be the creepers in the hallway but not in my classes. I can't deal with the questions from that," he said shaking his head.

Ever since he had found out that he was Prince Endymion and his Generals were revealed to him. They were all joined at the hip. Personally, he was quite happy to have them back in his life as he did remember all the good times and the bad times they had. It was also nice for him to have some family again. While he enjoyed their company, they were quite overbearing sometimes and overly concerned with his safety. He tried to explain to them countless times, that no one knew or cared about who he was in this lifetime, and that he was just Mamoru Chiba, not Prince Endymion, future heir to rule Planet Earth,however, it always fell on deaf ears. He had to give them credit for sticking to their guns and believing in their duties as Generals.

After much discussion with Zoisite, they agreed on a plan that would allow the Kings to guard Endymion as they saw fit. They would guard him on a rotational basis and there would always be at least one King with him at all times (except for classes, any dates (like that would happen), bathroom breaks, and while he slept (they'd be confined to another room)). Zoisite had assumed the first shift, and Mamoru insisted that he use his bed, as he wanted Usagi to wake up to someone familiar in the room and not a stranger. Plus, Mamoru wasn't entirely convinced that Zoisite could keep his mouth shut about Mamoru's on and off feelings about her. As a result, he needed to keep him at arm's length.

As Mamoru waited for Usagi to wake up, he eventually fell asleep curled up on the couch opposite from her. His dreams were filled with his elusive Princess repeatedly asking for help. He could see her faint silhouette in the distance crying out to him, asking him to find her, begging to be freed, but he could never reach her. If only she would turn around and reveal herself. If only he could see what she looked like but she never did. Instead, before he could reach her, she was always ripped away from him by an evil force with her terrified screams echoing in his ears. Only morning or a break in his dreams, would give him a reprieve from the horrible events he kept on reliving over and over again forcing him into a restless night sleep.


	3. Mixed Signals

"Where is she?" Sailor Mars demanded as she looked at the other Senshi behind the Science building. "She texted that she was with Mamoru and that she would try to get rid of him. Showing up _THIS_ late is irresponsible even for her. I can't believe that she wouldn't have shown up," she complained looking at the other three before her.

Sailor Venus chimed in on the situation. "I don't know guys. I don't think that she would willingly let us down like that. She _knows_ how important this is. She's never _not_ come through for a fight. Maybe she couldn't get away from Mamoru?" Venus hypothesized.

Jupiter nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I think that Mamoru just became protective, like he usually does, and just made sure that the yoma didn't attack her. That's what my gut is saying, anyway, let me text her and see if she responds." She grabbed her cellphone out of her pocket and sent a quick text message to Usagi asking where she was.

"I already asked her like a zillion times where she was during the battle," Mars whined. "I had my cellphone in my sub-pocket and was able to send a few texts but she never responded. I bet you she's just ignoring us," she accused.

"You had time to text message?" Venus questioned. "How in gods name did you manage that?"

Mars looked at them sheepishly. "Well, we've been fighting for hours. It was easy between some of the "hiding" breaks to send a few scathing text messages. Anyway, it doesn't matter. What matters is that she didn't show up. She might not be the girl we used to know…"

Mercury listened to her friends bickering over the whereabouts of Usagi and wondered where she could be. Never had she doubted Usagi's intentions or leadership skills for the Senshi. She wholeheartedly believed that if Usagi did not show up for the battle there was a reason behind it. She took out her little computer and started typing in it to locate Usagi's cellphone. Locating her phone would most likely locate her. She waited for the search to end and when it did, it signalled that Usagi was on the other side of the building off to the side of the lower field. She wondered what she would be doing there, as it was already well into the evening.

"Guys," she started in an attempt to break their argument. "Guys!" she said more forcefully when they ignored her. "She's on the lower field, how about we just go ask her why she didn't show?"

Venus snapped her head in Mercury's direction and nodded. "Right, let's go ask her," she said starting to make her way with the others in tow. They decided amongst themselves that they would not detransform in case there was a need to continue fighting. If they found Usagi with Mamoru they would simply play the dutiful bound Senshi card and ask the two if they were alright.

Ami led the girls and continued to check on her computer as they approached the red dot that implied Usagi would be right behind the tree ahead of them. As they approached they heard nothing and were met with no one. "Well, that's odd," Mercury said as she verified her computer once more. "It says that she's here…"

Jupiter saw a reflection of something on the ground and walked over. Bending over she picked up the object and discovered that it was indeed a cellphone. Clicking on the home button she saw all of the text messages that had been sent by Mars and herself. "Um… I'm thinking we're in the right place it's her phone," she said turning it over to see if there was any damage. She also turned her attention to the surrounding area and found her tote bag along with her purse with its contents spilling out. She picked up the two, and was about to turn back to the girls when a shimmer of gold caught her attention. "It couldn't be," she whispered and immediately walked over to the object. She gasped as Usagi's transformation brooch lay in the grass before her.

"GUYS," Jupiter screamed as she picked up the brooch and turned around to see the girls looking back at her. "We DEFINITELY have a problem," she said flashing them the brooch and bags she was holding.

"Now, Usagi is careless... but she would never leave this all behind unless she had to," Venus piped in. "Something must have gone wrong… When was the last text message from her?" she asked as panic started to settle in.

"It was around 1:45pm this afternoon," Jupiter said providing the information.

"That was 6 hours ago… Something happened. She would have never left all of her stuff here, especially her transformation brooch in plain sight," Venus said as she took the brooch from Jupiter and turned it over in her hands.

There was a long silence that fell on the girls as they contemplated what happened to Usagi. While she was known for being late to fights and careless in the way that she fought against yomas, one thing she was not, was undependable. She always ensured that her friends safety came first even to the detriment of her own safety at times. The mere fact that her bags were scattered across the ground, left for anyone to steal, meant that she had either left in a hurry or was taken by force.

Mercury was the first to speak as they contemplated her fate. "There's a possibility that this new evil might have taken her. Perhaps, they found out about her identity when she was transforming and they acted quickly. Maybe that was the whole point of the attack, they wanted to see who the Senshi were," she paused slightly and tapped her lower lip in thought. "We might be dealing with an evil that is even greater than the last. Beryl and her Henchmen were strong but they were far from brilliant. Maybe these new attacks are coming from someone much more sophisticated with a well developed plan."

The girls looked at Mercury and mulled over her thoughts. It was true that they could be facing a smarter enemy than they had in the past. If they were, that meant that their search for the Princess would need to be sped up in order to keep her safe.

"Ok wait a minute," Mars said throwing her arms on her hips. "Don't you think we're all overreacting a little bit? I mean let's go through the facts before we start developing this whole doom and gloom idea in our heads that she's been kidnapped. What do we know?"

"Well, she disappeared this afternoon, she didn't show up to the fight, she left all her stuff behind... " Jupiter stated listing the obvious points. "That's about it."

"No, it isn't. She was last seen with Mamoru… she mentioned that in her text message to all of us. How about we reach out to him and ask him when's the last time _he_ saw her? Wouldn't that make more sense than coming up with this whole other idea?" Mars said rather annoyed. In that instance she waved her transformation away and the others followed suit.

"Ok that's a good point in theory but none of us know how to contact him really? I mean does anyone have his cell phone number?" Minako asked looking at the group of girls. They all shook their heads, however, Ami spoke up first.

"I can call or text Zoisite and ask him if he's aware of Mamoru's whereabouts. I'm sure that Rei can also text Jadeite and ask him where he is," she suggested. "They're usually all together anyway, and that's when I usually cross paths with Mamoru. Other than that, I don't really interact with him."

Rei nodded in agreement. "He's like the biggest recluse there is. I mean he gets out but he keeps to himself. I've only seen him semi-entertained when he's around his group of friends. I'll text Jadeite and see if he knows where he is and ask for his cell phone number. I guess dating his best friends, kind of helps to track him down, huh?" she said with a smirk as she texted.

Ami let out a small laugh. "I guess it does. I'm sure Zoisite will know where he is. He's always going on about how predictable Mamoru is, so he probably has his schedule figured out," she said as she typed on her cell.

Ami 20:02pm: Zoisite? I was wondering if you could help me out with a little mystery. Do you happen to know where Mamoru is?

Zoisite 20:02pm: Should i be worried that you're looking for him and not me, at this time of night? ;)

Ami 20:03pm: No silly. We're just trying to find him because we have a question for him…

Zoisite 20:03pm: Ooohhh… what kind of question you've piqued my curiosity! Who's asking because I can get creative with my answers.

Ami 20:03pm: Zoi, please stay on track. We just want to know where he is and if anything unusual happened to him today. We also need to ask him about our friend Usagi…

Zoisite 20:04pm: Ah yes, his little Odango… Well, imagine _MY_ surprise when I came to his apartment and found him tenderly caring for an unconscious Usagi. I'd just like to put it out there ONE MORE TIME that I'm right about him ok? I know, you don't believe me but I'm telling you, he has a soft spot for her...

Ami 20:04pm: Ok that's good… but not the time or place to have this discussion again. I know, what you think and I've also told you that I believe you. You know him more than I do. What happened though? Why was she unconscious? What did he do to her?

In between texts, Ami was updating the girls word for word on what Zoisite was relaying to her. Of course, Minako and Makoto, immediately got stuck on whether Mamoru had feelings for Usagi. They started arguing with Rei that they were certain he did while Rei vehemently denied that he would be interested in someone like her, noting that she knew him better. Ami sighed at the girls and waited for Zoisite's apparently lengthy reply as she saw the three little dots on her screen signifying that a response was coming.

Zoisite 20:05pm: I'm only telling you this because I know you can handle the truth. You might want to censor it for the peanut gallery though. Mamoru and Usagi were stuck in the crossfires of the attack this afternoon at the University. In the attack, Usagi got captured by one of the creatures lurking around and was knocked unconscious. Mamoru, acting quickly and rather heroically, managed to get her out of the clutches of the creature and brought her back to his apartment for safety. He tended to her injuries (don't worry she's fine just a few cuts and scratches) and she's been sleeping since. I have to admit she's healing quite quickly… it's rather bizarre.

Ami 20:06pm: Oh you know Usagi she's a special one. Her body is probably so used to her klutz attacks that it instinctively knows to heal itself… thank you for the information Zoisite.

Zoisite 20:06pm: Maybe. Anyway, she's here now, so don't worry about her. I'll make sure that Mamoru keeps his hands on her... oh wait, I mean off of her ;)

Ami 20:06pm: ZOISITE!

Zoisite 20:07pm: Talking about keeping hands off of people or rather on certain blue haired girls… when am I seeing you next?

Ami 20:07pm: You're terrible… ;) I'll see you tomorrow Zoi. xoxox

With that she closed her phone even though she heard a few more text messages come through. If there was one thing she was certain about with Zoisite, was that his texts were about to become less than pure in nature, and she didn't need to share those with the girls. She was already blushing a deep crimson and she knew they would question her if the blush deepened any further.

She took the opportunity to explain the entire situation to the girls and they agreed that for tonight, it would probably be best to keep Usagi with Mamoru. All of them snickered at the image of Usagi eventually waking up and finding herself in Mamoru's apartment. Most of them would have given money to see that reaction but instead they would have to contend themselves on knowing that it would be priceless. With that they decided to head out to the nearest all you can eat sushi shop to satisfy the hunger they had built up from fighting all day.

* * *

3:00am - Mamoru's apartment…

Usagi started to shift in her forced sleep, and slowly turned over wincing at the pain in her shoulders and letting out a small moan in protest of the pain. She tried to clear the cobwebs from her mind as she sorted through vague memories of what happened to her. She had difficulty focusing on the task at hand due to her pounding headache, and the fact that she felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She took a deep breath and pulled the blankets closer to her, letting the soft scent of cologne wash over her. Something about the smell soothe her and put a smile across her face. She snuggled up closer to the blanket and couldn't help but think that it smelled like Mamoru. 'He always did smell nice...' she thought to herself in her sleepy state, as she continued to piece together the days events.

She remembered going to class and bumping into that obnoxious baka and then they were running. 'Why were we running?' she thought to herself and then remembered there was a yoma. They had gotten away from the yoma but then they split up and she got attacked. She remembered being violently pulled towards the yoma but everything after that was blank. 'Ugh what happened…?' she thought to herself as she shifted again in what she thought was her bed.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling noting that it was quite dark in her apartment. 'How did I get back here?' she thought as she brought a hand to her forehead and slowly sat up. The world spun around her momentarily and she focused, for the first time, on her surroundings realizing that she didn't recognize them at all. Panic slowly overtook her as she realized that she was not in her apartment but someone else's. Her eyes immediately shot downwards to ensure that she was fully clothed and that she wasn't dealing with more than just a yoma attack.

Relieved that she was wearing the same thing as this afternoon, she swung her legs off the couch and planted her feet firmly on the floor. 'Where am I?' she thought panicked and tried to search for her phone in her pocket. Realizing that she didn't have her phone her panic level increased significantly. Not only was she in a foreign place, she now had no way of communicating with anyone.

She stood shakily, immediately losing her balance and landing on her knees on the floor. She grabbed her head as the blood rushed and threatened to knock her unconscious. She blinked several times trying to regain her senses and grabbed the coffee table to steady her. 'Ugh… I almost feel like I'm drunk,' she thought to herself. She needed to find out where she was and get out of whatever predicament that she was in as soon as possible. She scanned the room, and as the Moonlight shone in she noticed another figure sound asleep on the couch opposite from her. She couldn't make out who it was, as the person in question, had an arm draped across their face.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she crawled over to the couch and looked on at the figure, analysing their physique. 'I know who this is...' she said to herself as she gently removed the arm from their face, revealing that it was indeed Mamoru. He shifted slightly and turned his back to her as he readjusted himself on the couch mumbling "5 more minutes…"

Annoyed that she was being ignored she put her hand on his shoulder and forced him to turn around. "Mamoru…" she whispered trying to be gentle in her approach. She had questions and she wanted answers. How did she get back to his apartment? What had happened? What time was it? So many questions were going through her mind and she shook him again reiterating his name.

"Usa," he mumbled, "it's too early to wake up…"

She tilted her head at the shortened name and the fact that he wasn't calling her Odango. 'He must be really asleep if he's being nice to me,' she sighed and gave up on her attempts to wake him up. "Fine…" she said out loud to him, "It probably is too early… so I'll just be leaving," she said as she forced herself up. The pounding was still echoing in her head but she felt steadier on her legs and let out a sigh.

She couldn't help but glance down and smirk at how peaceful and hot he looked with his hair disheveled. She fought the sudden urge to pass her fingers through his hair. 'What is WRONG with me?' she thought to herself horrified as she found herself inching closer to him to follow through with the motion. Shocked at her own advances she stepped back (in an attempt to leave), however, she hit his coffee table loudly, as she toppled over onto her derrière and back. She tried to muffle her scream as she hit the floor as she winced in pain.

Having heard the commotion Mamoru was jostled out of his sleep and shot up from the couch ready to attack what he thought was the intruder in his apartment. Instead, he found Usagi sprawled out on the floor staring back up at him. "Are you ok?" he asked extending his hand to her, wondering what had just happened.

She stared up at him and wondered why he was being so nice to her. It was almost creepy, she thought, as she reluctantly grabbed his hand and he helped her up. He said nothing as he looked at her and directed her back to the couch she had been sleeping on. "Um... Your hands are cold... You're probably cold...," he mumbled as he grabbed the blanket beside her and draped it over her shoulders, giving her arms a tender rub. Immediately, he realized what he was doing and backed away from her, quickly folding his arms. "So you're awake…" he said dumbly. 'Congrats captain obvious… you're an idiot..' he said internally smacking his forehead.

Usagi stared back at him unsure what to say at the kind gesture and looked at her feet instead. "Um…" she started. "What happened? Why am I here?" she asked opting for the most logical questions, as she further wrapped the blanket around herself and tried to ignore him.

Mamoru cursed himself for making her feel uncomfortable. That being said he was eternally grateful that she was now ignoring him and just asking for a recap of what happened.

"Well...we were attacked this afternoon and you got caught in the crossfires… You were unconscious and I'll admit, I panicked and brought you back here. I didn't want to leave you there, with that thing lashing out at you," he admitted. "So that's how you ended up here..." And paused slightly. "Also, I feel like I should mention that I'm not a creep. I know we have our differences, gods know we have many, but I would never hurt you, you know... And I couldn't leave you there Odango... "

Usagi looked up at him, and for the first time she felt like she saw the real Mamoru. The mask of arrogance and condescension was removed and he was simply stating the facts. He almost looked like he really cared for _her_ and her safety. She gave him a small smile, "Thanks Mamoru. I'll admit I don't really remember everything that happened but at least I know you care enough not to willingly throw me at a yoma and let me die. I guess that's a good thing," she said with a small laugh.

Mamoru smiled down at her, 'I care for you probably more than you'll ever know' he thought and cursed himself for continuing to have unsaid feelings for her.

"Yeah, well if you got hurt Odango, who would I have to tease?" he said with a wink.

"Whatever did you do when I was gone?" she teased in a sing songy voice.

'Life just wasn't as exciting..' he thought but said out loud, "I kept all my good insults for when you would be back. So be careful, all my good material will eventually be unleashed."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You know, you could have just said that you were over teasing me and that we could start fresh but I see how it is. I'll have to bring my A game and make sure to continue insulting you. Don't think that you helping me today has changed anything."

"I would never dream that it would," he replied as he sat down on his couch. "But on a serious note, before we go back to insulting each other… Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... Just a little sore," she said motioning to her shoulders and sighed. "Anyway, I'm more concerned about my friends... I'm pretty sure that my friends think I'm dead and once they find out I'm not, they're going to KILL me for missing our study session… I'm so dead."

Mamoru looked at her curiously. "If I were your friends I'd just be thankful that you were alive and that you weren't severely injured. That'd be my primary concern..."

"I know but you don't know them..."

"Well if they say anything believe me I'll have a word or two with them about priorities in life," he said curtly.

Usagi smiled at him, entertained that he was trying to defend her honour. For someone that went out of his way to make fun of her, he sure had a strong opinion on what others should think about her. "Thanks mamoru I'll let them know," she said humouring him. "I do have an unrelated question though...You wouldn't have grabbed my bag by any chance?"

He shook his head. At the realisation that her bag was not retrieved her heart sank. She knew that her transformation brooch was knocked out of her hands and was probably still lying around. She wondered if the bag would still be there and had half a mind to go search the campus right now.

Mamoru saw her expression change, and as if reading her thoughts, he replied, "I'm not letting you go search for that bag in the middle of the night. If someone found it I'm sure they put it at lost and found, ok? Just try not to worry about it… nothing can be that important, that you would need to go right this instance."

'You'd be surprised...' she thought to herself as she wondered how much trouble she was going to be in. She had never lost her brooch before and out of all irresponsible things to do, this was the worse. Granted, it wasn't her fault, but she knew that Luna would be less than happy about creating a new brooch AND that someone could now be in possession of the brooch. She bit her lower lip, trying to come up with a plan to go search for her stuff. She realized that Mamoru wouldn't let her go by herself, and wondered if she could con him into going back to bed and then slip out.

Sensing that she was plotting against him Mamoru spoke up. "Usagi," he said using her name in an attempt to make her listen. "I swear we'll go look for your stuff tomorrow ok? I just don't think it's a good idea to go out tonight given the events that transpired today. I'll personally go tomorrow and try to find your stuff ok?" He paused thinking about his next words carefully. "Also, if you decide to give me "the slip" just remember you have nothing on you. So, if you don't find your things you'll have no cellphone to ask for help, no keys to get home, no ID. I just don't feel comfortable with that."

Usagi contemplated what he was saying and realized that he was right. She'd be stuck all night or be forced to walk to one of the girls apartments, which would be torturous in her current state. "Fine," she said flopping onto her back on the couch. "But don't get too comfortable with me being here," she said eyeing him suspiciously. "I'm outta here in the morning," she said trying to place the blanket across her whole body.

"Oh don't you worry, I don't need Hurricane Odango, destroying my apartment. You already almost took out my coffee table. I can only imagine what other things you'd take out," he said with a wink. He watched her struggling with the blanket and shook his head, "You're hopeless, you know that?" he said standing up and properly placing the blanket on her. He placed a hand on her head, "Now try to get some sleep… you had a pretty rough day," he said patting it slightly.

She watched him walk back to his couch and lay down. She turned to face him, "You know," she said looking at him. "You can sleep in your room. I won't run away."

"I know you won't… And thanks for your concern about my sleeping habits but my friend is staying over so I left him the bed. It made more sense. I didn't want you waking up to some stranger and have a typical Odango conniption fit."

"Thanks Mamoru…" she said softly as fatigue was starting to cloud her senses. "You're not as bad as I thought… maybe there is hope for you yet," she whispered.

"Um… I'm not quite sure what that's supposed to mean but I'll take it as a compliment," he said looking over at her briefly realising that she was falling asleep. He couldn't help the small smile from spreading across his face as he watched her. The moonlight gently caressed her face accenting her flawless skin. He watched her breathing slow down, her lips parted slightly and he realised how much trouble he was in, regarding his feelings for her. He tore his gaze away from her and focused on the ceiling instead trying to determine how best to push down his mounting feelings for her. He hadn't realised that his feelings and his attraction towards her were still so strong. After 2 years of not seeing her, he thought he finally got her out of his head but seeing her again today, and then worse seeing her in danger, made him realise just how deep his feelings ran.

'Just go to bed and ignore it..' he thought to himself and forced his eyes shut. He couldn't allow himself to have feelings for Usagi, his heart was already supposed to be taken by the Princess he reminded himself. Trying to push the thoughts away for the better part of 15 minutes, he finally concluded that he wouldn't be able to sleep any longer. He sat up on the couch and decided some fresh air would do him some good. Standing up, he chanced one glance at Usagi as she shifted in her sleep mumbling.

"Don't... " she softly spoke. "Not Endym…hmm.."

Frozen in his footsteps and starting to wonder if he was having auditory hallucination, he questioned whether he heard correctly. 'Could she have said Endymion? How would she know about me? It's not a common name… unless she said something different,' he hypothesized as he listened for more murmurs. She was clearly having some sort of dream but he couldn't make out what was happening in it. Keywords such as: stay away, no, and we need to run, were repeated. He decided to test his luck and see if she would respond if he spoke to her.

"Usagi…?"

He was met with nothing. He placed a hand on her arm and shook her slightly, in an attempt to wake her up. When she didn't stir or speak, he tried a different tactic. Would she respond if he actively engaged in conversation? He leaned forward, "What should we run from?" he whispered softly into her ear.

"What are you doing?" Zoisite asked as he walked into the living room. "You said you weren't going to try anything creepy with her."

Mamoru jumped at the sight of Zoisite and in his shock missed the key words that Usagi spoke:

" _we need to run from Beryl..."_

Having missed the words he glared at Zoisite, "i'm not doing anything creepy! Did you hear what she said? What did she say?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

Zoisite shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't think you should be listening so closely to her sleep talking. That's kind of weird even for you… Heck even for me that's weird," he said sitting on the edge of the opposite couch from Usagi. "How about you step away from her and come over here. Maybe that way if she wakes up, she won't have a heart attack at finding you staring down at her."

Mamoru straightened himself out. Zoisite was right he was being crazy about all of this, he was probably just hearing what he wanted to hear. "I…" he began. "I just thought I heard her say Endymion... That's why I was beside her, ok?"

"Uh huh," Zoisite said nodding his head. "Why would she call you Endymion? She's not part of our world Mamoru. You're just hearing what you want to hear. How many times do we have to tell you that? You should really try and get some sleep. How about you take back your bedroom and I'll take the couch. Maybe that way you'll be able to fall asleep and not be creepy."

Mamoru considered Zoisite's words and agreed that it would probably be best. Usagi was quite a distraction and he really did need to sleep. "Fine.. but I honestly feel like i heard her say my name. And for the record, I was not creepy..."

"You were creepy."

"Ugh fine... We can discuss it more in the morning," he said walking towards his room aggravated. He turned around before disappearing around the corner, "and talking about being creepy... Make sure you're up to no funny business with her" he threatened.

"Hey I'm no longer a single man. There will be no funny business from me," he said with a wink. "Now go sleep. You need your beauty sleep you're starting to look horrible! We can't have an ugly Prince... No one will fall in love with you then!"

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Mamoru went off to his room leaving Zoisite and muttering about how much of an ass he was.

Zoisite watched him leave and shook his head. His Prince was starting to lose his mind and if he didn't start sleeping more, they'd have to intervene. He couldn't believe that he now thought that Usagi was saying his Prince name, the notion was simply ridiculous. He flopped down onto the couch and pulled the blanket over himself, closing his eyes. Turning over to face the back of the couch, he made a mental note to discuss sleeping pills and therapy with Mamoru in the morning. It was at _that_ moment that he heard it:

"Endymion… we _need_ to run she's coming."

'Oh dear gods,' Zoisite thought to himself as he flipped over on the couch to watch Usagi's sleeping frame. 'We definitely have a problem on our hands...'


	4. Old Habits Die Hard

Mamoru woke up the next morning feeling like he hadn't slept all night. He lay in bed for a few minutes contemplating what he was going to do about Usagi. On one hand, he knew that he couldn't do anything but on the other, he knew he should do something about the mounting feelings he had for her. He could deny them all he wanted, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get her out of his head.

Over the course of the night, he gave serious thought about his feelings towards her and no matter how he looked at it: he cared for her. At this point, what he needed to determine was how deep his feelings ran for her. Clearly, the feelings were somewhat deep rooted as he constantly thought about her while she was abroad, and effectively out of his life for two full years. She never left him, and seeing her yesterday only amplified the feelings that he had been harbouring for her. Why hadn't he realized the depth of his feelings until now? Why was he feeling so compelled to reach out to her? Why had he been shaken to the core when she was hurt yesterday? All of these questions plagued his mind as he tried to convince himself of the very opposite.

Part of his night had involved him convincing himself that his attraction to her was only as a result of the attack and nothing more. 'It must be that…' he noted to himself as he once again started the 'I-don't-care-for-Usagi' game but came up empty handed. He grabbed his pillow in frustration and put it over his face, "ughh…" he exhaled. He felt like a complete moron for having this predicament especially when he was still dreaming about his Princess and he knew _they_ were destined for each other. Usagi should mean nothing to him yet she did, a little voice reminded him and even taunted him repeatedly confirming she _was_ his princess. 'If only that were the truth,' he thought sadly to himself. Everything would right itself and he would finally understand his connection to the girl. Instead he reminded himself, that his most trusted friends all denied she had any connection to the Princess. They had confirmed, over and over again, that she was nothing; but something in him screamed that she was so much more than what they were making her to be. As a result, he still held out hope that his Odango was someone special, even if she wasn't his princess, she had definitely captured a part of his heart. What bothered him was that when he found his princess, Usagi would no longer mean anything to him… she couldn't.

At the thought that she meant nothing to him, his heart fluttered and he cursed himself once more. It was uncharacteristic for him to feel this way and not understand his feelings. He had never been known for warm fuzzy feelings and he sure as hell was not going to start now. Momentarily, he resolved to push her out of his thoughts and removed the pillow from his face, sitting up in his bed. Feeling sorry for himself and his situation would do him no good. As a result, he decided to take a cold shower to wash away his thoughts.

He sluggishly got out of his bed and headed to his en suite bathroom, and turned on the faucet, while removing his clothing. He stepped into the steaming shower and let his mind go to autopilot. With his eyes closed, he leaned against the shower wall, with his head under the stream of water and let it cascade down his body. He let himself enjoy the warming feeling that coursed through his body as he finally let his muscles relax and he thought nothing more of his Odango problem.

Once he was done showering he threw on some black jogging pants and a deep white v-neck t-shirt. He grabbed his glasses from his night table putting them on and silently cursed himself that he needed them. He headed out to the living room and saw that Usagi was still fast asleep. She was lying on her stomach with one arm hanging off the couch and he couldn't help but smile to himself as he wondered if she was even comfortable or whether she could even breathe. Tempted to readjust her position, he took two steps forwards before realizing that it was none of his business whether she fell off of the couch or whether she was comfortable enough. Plus, he had invaded her personal bubble several times in the past 24 hours and he no longer wanted to test the fates. It would only be a matter of time before she lashed out at him, with fire burning behind her cerulean eyes.

Looking over at the other couch he noticed that Zoisite had disappeared. 'Oh gods where is he,' he thought to himself as he looked around the living and out onto the balcony. He was nowhere to be seen which meant that either he had left or he was in the kitchen. Walking over he tried to regain his composure and mask any traces of the deep feelings that were still plaguing him. He entered cautiously to find Zoisite with his back to him making coffee.

As he stepped forward into the kitchen Zoisite turned around with a taunting grin. "Morning sleeping beauty… manage to sleep without thinking of _your_ damsel in distress?" Zoisite said smirking.

Mamoru tensed immediately at the implication that she was _his._ A voice in his head told him that she was and he hated that Zoisite was toying with him. 'I'm losing my mind….' he thought to himself exasperatedly as he put a hand through his hair and shook his head. "Can you please stop bringing that up? I'd rather not discuss that situation, ok?" he stated honestly. He was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to explain his feelings. Zoisite already knew he liked her (he had always known) and he didn't want to play this little game when his head was already reeling from everything.

"Fine," Zoisite said reluctantly. "I'll let it go _for now_ but on a serious note, we're going to have to discuss it at some point. Just remember that," Zoisite said with an uncharacteristic note of seriousness to his voice. Truth was, he had already contacted the other Kings and they were on their way to have a little observation session between Usagi and Mamoru. He had informed them that Usagi was muttering Endymion's name along with other things in her sleep. As a result, they were all concerned that Usagi might somehow be related to the Prince's past, even though it made no sense because she registered as being powerless. Kunzite had been the first through their group text message to highlight they needed to find out who she was and potentially determine whether she was an enemy or not.

Even though there were strong doubts in everyone's mind that Usagi might be the Princess, Zoisite himself resolved that she most likely _was_ the Princess. He didn't need confirmation from anyone. Mamoru's strange attraction to her was enough for him to believe it. That being said, no one else shared the same thoughts.

"Fine... " Mamoru said monotone. "Now are you going to make fun of me if I make breakfast for us?"

"No, because I'm hungry... but you and I, both know that you don't want to feed meeeee," he said in a sing songy voice. "It's all about your little Odan…" he was cut off by a towel hitting him square in the face and an icy cold glare from Mamoru, that could have frozen anyone in their place. His look implied that if Zoisite uttered another word, he wouldn't get a towel in the face next time. As a result, for the next 10 minutes they worked in silence prepping the food.

* * *

" _They're getting closer Endymion," the Princess whispered to her Prince as she tried to match his wide strides as they ran down the palace halls. Her long silver locks were trailing behind her, as the sound of her heels could be heard hitting the polished marble floor, followed by the swishing of her elegant white gown._

 _The faceless Prince turned to her and tried to reassure her that he would keep her safe and urged her to run as fast as she could. Tears, were pooling in the Princess's eyes as her cerulean eyes looked on at him. She tried to increase her speed but she wasn't as fast as him. She watched as he came to a stop and opened the door to a small reception room and ran in. He closed the door and locked it._

 _He turned to her and passed a hand through his hair. He smiled weakly at her, "We'll get through this OK?" he said bringing her into an embrace. "we'll get through this…" he repeated in a whisper._

" _I'm scared Endymion…she's going to find us..." the Princess whispered into his chest, and he tightened his embraced, kissing her on the head. At that moment, loud banging was heard on the door and what sounded like an angry mob. Cries of "Show yourself" and "we know you're in there" could be heard, as they tried to break down the door._

 _He broke the embrace and looked at her. "We have to keep on running ok?"_

 _She nodded back at him, and at that moment, he leaned in and kissed her caressing the side of her face. After a few moments, he broke the kiss and leaned his head against hers and reaffirmed they'd make it through this. They both stood still for a moment, enjoying the warmth of their bodies against each other, and he reluctantly pulled away. He looked over his petite Princess, as she stared back at him with tears sliding down her perfect porcelain cheeks. Wiping them quickly, he chanced one last glance at her and took her hand in his. He gave it a light squeeze, "We'll be ok Serenity," he whispered into her ear and kissed the side of her head._

 _Serenity nodded at his affirmations even though she knew he couldn't possibly keep his promise. There were too many of them and too few of them. They would all die. She knew there was no escaping their fate. She was jostled out of her thoughts as Endymion started to pull her towards the balcony doors and opened them to step outside. As they did, the sky erupted in blacks and reds, as explosions could be heard, and the angry mob got louder._

 _From the left she could see the mob approaching them and from behind them the other mob had broken through the hall. Both the Prince and Princess, ran to the right where they were met with the same faith. Endymion, backed against the wall, making sure that Serenity was standing behind him. He tried to reason with them letting them know that they weren't the enemy, that they shouldn't be doing this. The crowd wouldn't listen and drew their weapons towards them._

 _Endymion looked back at Serenity, "If anything happens… run. Try to get out of here," he said giving her hand a gentle squeeze._

" _...No, I can't. I will NOT leave you," she responded standing her ground. "They want me, not you... I can't let you get hurt for me," she cried back at him as tears poured down her face. She tried to move closer to him but her vision started to waiver and darkness took over until nothing stood before her…._

* * *

Usagi woke up with a jolt, sitting up on the couch taking deep breaths. Tears were pouring down her face and she wiped them quickly. 'What the hell?' she thought to herself as she tried to replay the dream that had been cursing her all night. Why was she dreaming of a faceless Prince…. who was this Endymion and why did this Princess Serenity look so much like her? Why was she dreaming all of this… she asked herself as she swung her feet onto the floor. She placed her head between her legs and tried to calm down her nerves.

In recent weeks she had been having dreams but never had they been so vivid. They were getting worse and this was the first time that she remembered so much from a dream. She could feel the fear that was emanating from the Princess as if it were her own. What did everything mean? she questioned herself as she lifted her head from her legs and realized that she was still in Mamoru's apartment. She had enough insight to remember that she couldn't have a full breakdown here. She needed to put herself together and breakdown after she left. She was extremely thankful that Mamoru was not in the living room and had not witnessed her minor freak out. He would have never let her live it down.

Pulling herself together she heard two men talking in the kitchen and was thankful that they seemed too enthralled in their own conversation to check up on her. She was eternally grateful that she had not woken up screaming as she often did. Taking a deep breath, she got up from the couch and walked over to the mirror that hung above the other couch and looked at her reflection. Her odangos were falling apart and she looked quite disheveled. 'I can't let him see me like this,' she thought to herself, as she started undoing her hair and wiping the smudged makeup from her face.

As she was taking apart her odangos she realized that she was far too preoccupied as to what he thought about her appearance. 'Like he would care...' she thought to herself. All she really needed to hide was the fact she had been crying. She hated that _she_ was so preoccupied about her appearance in the morning and what he would think. 'What's wrong with me? This stupid baka is infiltrating my mind…' Aggravated that she was actually trying to make herself presentable for him, she tried to stop her hands from continuing to flatten the stray pieces of hair and finally gave up leaving her hair loose. "Ugh… at least now he can't make fun of me," she said to herself.

Frowning at her reflection, she put the pins into her pocket and straightened out her clothes. As she stood in front of the mirror she questioned why she was even still in Mamoru's apartment and debated whether she should just leave. 'He probably wouldn't even notice if I left,' she thought to herself. She didn't belong here with him, it was unnatural for the two to get along and given her current emotional state, it would be best if she vacated the premise.

Looking over at the door, and listening to the conversation that was ongoing in the kitchen, she decided that it was best to leave. 'It's now or never Usagi… you can thank him later for saving your life,' and she darted for the door, carefully putting on her shoes and placing her hand on the doorknob.

"Leaving without a goodbye kiss?" Zoisite mocked as he waved his hand at her attempt to leave the apartment, and he watched carefully for her reaction. Since he heard her utter Endymion's name, he had spent most of the night trying to catch other snippets of her dreams and he captured quite a lot. He wasn't sure what any of it meant but he knew that he had to keep her here until the Kings arrived. He also wanted to spend as much time as possible with the strange girl and Mamoru, in order to determine how they interacted with one another.

Surprised Usagi let out a startled scream and clutched her chest. "You SCARED me," she hissed at him. "Why would you do that?" she said glaring at him. Looking him up and down, she noticed that he was a little shorter than Mamoru, had long strawberry blonde hair and mischievous blue eyes. She had never met this man before and for him to just sneak up on her was plain rude.

"Well missy," he started. "I was not the one trying to sneak out of my saviour's apartment. You should show a little respect," he said with a wink.

Insulted at the insinuation that Mamoru was her saviour, she threw her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Excuse me? My saviour? I don't think so… he just so happened to be at the right place at the right time. Any decent human being would have helped out," she spat out at him.

"Wow you are a feisty one. Now I see why Mamoru is always complaining about you. You _are_ a piece of work," he retorted quickly.

"What?" she said the hurt seeping through at the realization she had an ill reputation amongst Mamoru's friends, and most importantly that he had clearly spoken enough against her that they thought she was a piece of work. Finding her composure, she simply glared at the blond haired man before replying, "Well, he's not exactly great either. And I'll have you know that if he would only stop teasing me for 2 minutes, maybe he'd see that I'm not who he thinks I am…" she said folding her arms. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've had enough of being mistreated and I really should be on my way," she said turning away from Zoisite, as she fought the onslaught of tears. Her emotions were still running high from her restless night which only served to amplify the feelings of hurt emanating from the realization that Mamoru hated her so much, that he spoke to others about it. She placed her hand back on the doorknob and opened the door.

"Odango…? What happened to your hair?" Mamoru said stepping out of the kitchen with a plate full of food and an orange juice in his other hand. He couldn't believe how different she looked with her hair down, and realized in that instance, how much he really liked her regular hairstyle. He felt like a stranger was staring back at him, no glaring back at him. Pulling his gaze away from hers he suddenly noticed the tension in the room (which he had _not_ caused for once) and noted that she appeared to be leaving. What had the buffoon done now, he thought to himself and took a step forward.

"Are you leaving?" he questioned. "I made breakfast," he added dumbly, showing the plate of food.

"You know what Mamoru? I _am_ leaving. Your friend over here is quite rude and I already get enough teasing from you. I definitely don't need to get it from this guy over here," she said pointing at Zoisite. "Also, my hair is just down… now you can't call me odango, maybe I'll keep it like this _all the time_ from now on, so I can avoid your taunts as well," she stated angrily. Part of her didn't mean to snap at Mamoru (he did look quite handsome right now with his messy hair and amazing deep white v-neck t-shirt) but she couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't take her seriously and that he was bad mouthing her to anyone who would listen. Sure, she did the same thing but the girls _knew_ who he was and they _knew_ how he behaved. His friends didn't except for Motoki.

"Whoa... " he said taken aback and putting the plate and juice down on the small dining table. "Seems like someone woke up pretty aggravated this morning...unless..." He turned to Zoisite and glared at him, "What did you say to her to get her this angry? Why would you have done that?"

Zoisite shrugged his shoulders. He was enjoying seeing the exchange between the two. From what he could gather so far, he could tell that even though Usagi put on a brave face and tried to act tough, she was immediately hurt when he had admitted that Mamoru spoke poorly of her. That was clue number 1 that she liked him. Clue number 2 was the minute Mamoru turned to him and tried to defend her, he saw her blush. He was enjoying this little game and decided to add a little more fuel to the fire.

"I was just telling her that you complained a lot about her attitude," he stated matter-of-factly. "...Or I guess, technically you _used_ to also complain a lot about the fact that she _wasn't_ around," he said with a slight grin letting that sink in for a second and then turned to Usagi. "We definitely heard a lot of complaints about that too and about how he mis..."

Mamoru intervened immediately before Usagi could question what Zoisite meant by that blanket statement. "Ok you know what Zoisite? How about you step right out of the apartment so I can talk to Usagi, ok?" Zoisite made to protest but Mamoru had already moved the seething Usagi from the doorway, and pushed Zoisite out. Before shutting the door in his face, he glared at him and muttered, "I'm going to kill you Zoisite…."

Zoisite always had a knack for making things awkward and for letting things surface that really shouldn't. He turned to face a stunned looking Usagi.

"Why would you complain about me not being around?" she asked softly trying to calm down. The minute she heard Zoisite say those words she was filled with sudden hope that Mamoru might care about her a little more than a rival. She cursed herself for having those thoughts and avoided eye contact.

"He's just lying obviously. Why would I complain about you not being there? That's just ridiculous I don't care whether you're here or not," he said quickly and realized that out of all statements he could have uttered, this was not only the worse but the furthest from the truth. He tried to retract the comment, "Wait I didn't mean it that way… I just meant that…" but it was too late. He could see her expression change and she was shutting down. He could swear that tears were threatening to fall and he felt horrible. Why couldn't he just be nice to her? Why couldn't he act like a normal human being around her? Why couldn't he act like the way he felt around her? Instead, he was this arrogant jerk that just made fun of her all the time and hurt her. The irony was that it was so far from what he was seeking to accomplish. He just didn't want her to know how he felt about her because it would never work.

Usagi put her hand up to stop his apology. "It's ok Mamoru, you don't need to explain yourself. I know how you feel about me already. You've always gone out of your way to make that a 100% clear," she said looking up at him. She hated that she was feeling this way and needed to get away from him. She was so hurt and couldn't stay there a minute longer. She plastered on a fake smile, even though her eyes betrayed her with the sadness that filled them.

"Thank you for your hospitality and not letting that thing kill me. I appreciate it but I really should be on my way," she said softly passing him.

He reached out for her hand to stop her from getting to the door. "Usagi…please," he said softly. "I didn't mean it…"

"No need to lie…" she said as she took her hand out of his. "I just need to leave…"

She never understood him and never would. Bumping into him yesterday had been a fluke and she hoped that she wouldn't cross paths with him for a very long time. When she got back to her apartment she would definitely opt out of his course and limit her encounters with him. For some reason, she was feeling more hurt than usual regarding his lack of concern for her feelings and she didn't need that additional heartache right now. She opened the door, blinking back tears as she was met with 4 rather imposing men staring back at her.

"Excuse me," she mumbled as she walked through them, tears already starting to fall, and left them all silently staring at her retreating figure as she turned the corner to wait for the elevator. Once she was around the corner they turned their attention to the stunned looking Mamoru.

"What did you do to her?" the tall handsome white haired general asked as he stepped into the apartment. "Clearly, you've upset her. She looks like she just witnessed her dog getting hit by a car," he said bluntly.

"Can you please refrain from giving me a lecture right now Kunzite," Mamoru replied passing a hand through his hair. "Everything just went horribly wrong and it's all because of you Zoisite. What did you tell her about me? You completely set her off. We were doing so well until you got involved in this whole mess."

"Hey don't blame me. All I did was mention that you were right to say that she was a piece of work and that you complained a lot about her. I didn't say anything that _you_ haven't told us before," he paused slightly. "I'll admit that I was fishing for a reaction... and she most certainly delivered a far better reaction than I thought she would. That girl, whether you like it or not, does _not_ hate you. I think she's been putting on a brave face throughout all of your taunts for one reason or another."

Mamoru listened to his friend explain his perception of Usagi. He knew there was some truth to what he was saying as he had witnessed the hurt in her eyes. That being said, he had seen it multiple times before so why was it different this time? he thought to himself. Why did he feel so horrible for letting her walk away without explaining himself... without grabbing her and hugging her? Why did he always feel it was necessary to knock her down a few pegs. Unable to answer his own questions, he sighed deeply and looked at the uneaten breakfast that he had prepared for his little odango.

Waking up this morning, he had such hope they would have been able to eat breakfast together and talk like normal people but instead he was odango-less and surrounded by his Kings. The story of his life. He watched them enter his apartment and make their way to his couches. Trying to regain his composure he shut the door behind them and decided to reply to Zoisite's comments about Usagi not hating him.

"Maybe you're right. I don't know anymore," he said walking over to the dining room table, grabbing the uneaten breakfast, and placing it on the coffee table. "It's up for grabs," he said nodding to the plate of food. "Anybody want more? I'll go plate the rest," he said as he lost his own appetite. Two arms shot in the air, Nephrite and Jadeite, of course. Those two were always hungry, he thought as he walked back to the kitchen to prepare some more food.

Zoisite watched Mamoru leave the living room and leaned in towards the other Kings. "See what I'm telling you. That's why I needed you guys to show up asap. I've never seen him interact with her before... I've only heard about the way they are around each other. Even Ami agrees there might be something between the two of them!"

Jadeite excitedly piped in for his opinion to be heard. Being the youngest of the Kings, always meant that he was the last to be heard or the last to give advice. "I noticed it right away. They definitely like each other... When she opened the door I was convinced we were about to witness epic waterworks."

"My point exactly and they haven't seen each other for at least 2 years. Who harbours feelings for that long? I don't think it's a long shot to think that _she_ might be someone from Endymion's past. That and the fact that she spent half the night talking about him," Zoisite replied excitedly.

Kunzite, being the voice of reason, listened to the two hypothesize about Usagi and Mamoru. True, they both had feelings for each other, it was evident but when he ran the data on Usagi's DNA, she was not the Princess nor did she have any powers. "I don't mean to sound skeptical but we've already gone through this. All of the data we have on her is normal, as in, human. If she was the Moon Princess or even of relation to the Moon or our past lives, we would see it in her DNA. We don't see anything," he said simply. "We need to stop chasing this idea that she might be someone of interest. We're only providing the Prince with hope that at the end of all of this, she will mean something to him, when she won't."

Nephrite rolled his eyes. "You know Kun, you've never been great at being supportive. Maybe, she's "unremarkable" for now because there's a block on her aura or who she is because she doesn't even know. Wouldn't it make sense that in order to protect the Princess, they would ensure that a simple DNA test, would come back negative?" he retorted.

Kunzite looked Nephrite over and knew there was some truth to what he was saying. "I suppose that could be true. We'll have to keep an eye on all their future interaction. Now Zoisite," he said turning his attention to him. "You said that she was talking about specific things in her sleep?"

"She was," he hesitated. "Should we be sharing this information with Mamoru?"

Kunzite pondered the question for a few moments. "It depends. What did you hear her say?" he asked cautiously.

"Things that might make Mamoru think that she _IS_ the Princess," he said softly.

"Then we can't let him know right now," Kunzite replied as Mamoru walked in with additional plates of food.

"Here you go guys," he said placing them down in front of Jadeite and Nephrite. "Kunzite are you sure you don't want something as well? Everyone else is eating."

"Sure I'll take the same thing as them," he said nodding.

Mamoru nodded and retreated back to the kitchen. The four Kings looked at each other and dropped their talk to a whisper. "Do you think we have enough time to discuss it now?" Jadeite asked as he shoved a mouthful of eggs into his mouth.

Zoisite shook his head, "You don't understand I recorded it… that's how weird it was getting. He's so in-tune to her, that I wouldn't be surprised if he heard her voice floating to the kitchen. We'll have to wait until he's gone."

As a result, for the next hour the Kings along with Mamoru discussed the latest attack that had occurred at the University but they refrained from discussing Usagi. Kunzite went into detail about how long it took the Senshi to defeat the yomas and the extent of the damage that was unleashed. They determined that just over 50 students were injured in the attack and a substantial amount of energy was harvested. This was the 3rd attack where an enormous amount of energy had been captured, and they wondered what it was being collected for.

What worried them substantially more was that they had yet to see who was controlling the yomas, and they feared the delay in the enemy's presence was intentional. They hoped they could encounter the enemy sooner rather than later in order to determine what they were after: was it the Prince? the Princess? the Silver Crystal? So many questions were unanswered and they realized they would remain unanswered unless they showed themselves.

As the conversation winded down, Mamoru excused himself citing that he had class to attend, and advised the Kings they could stay in his apartment. He also told them that he didn't need anyone to come with him today as he would only be gone for two hours, and needed some time by himself. After lots of arguing the Kings agreed to let him go, as it would give them all a chance to talk about Usagi's dreams. After Mamoru left, they waited a few minutes to ensure that he was truly gone before they started their private conversation. Zoisite was the first to speak advising them of the interaction between Usagi and Mamoru the night before, and then suggesting they listen to the recording he made.

Nephrite interrupted. "Am I the only one who feels really awkward about listening to someone sleep talking?" he questioned looking towards the others. He considered himself a fairly private person and he knew that he would not be happy if someone had impeded on his privacy the same way that Zoisite had on Usagi's. "I just feel like it's not right…"

"It might not be right but it's a necessary evil in order to understand what is happening," Kunzite stated flatly.

"Fine. I just felt like someone should throw it out there because on a scale of 1 to 10 of creepy things we could be doing, I'm certain this scores a 10."

"Just be happy," Zoisite intervened. "That I didn't film her. It crossed my mind but I honest to gods thought THAT was crossing a line." He didn't let them know that he took a few discreet pictures of her sleeping to plague Mamoru with at a later date. He would find the perfect opportunity to send the pictures in order to make him feel uncomfortable. Preventing himself from smiling he decided to move forward with the task at hand. "Alright, here we go. This is what I recorded. I've already cleaned it up and transferred it to my laptop," he said opening it and pulling up an audio file. He pressed play and they all listened:

" _...I'm scared Endymion… She's going to find us…"_

" _...No. I can't. I will NOT leave you…"_

" _...Kill me Beryl. It's me you want, spare his life…"_

There was a long silence and the Kings wondered whether the audio was finished. Zoisite shook his head and told them to keep listening. His smoking gun was coming up and he wanted to make sure they heard it loud and clear. At that moment, they heard Usagi shifting on the couch followed by:

" _... Don't leave me Endymion. I can't live without you…"_ she choked out. " _I love you…"_ They heard a small commotion of what they assumed was Usagi waking up gasping for air. "Ugh…" she whispered but they could still hear her. "Why do I keep on dreaming about the Princess? Why did I feel like _I was her_ that time?"

And with that last comment Zoisite closed the audio file and confirmed quickly that Usagi was awake when she spoke the last two sentences about the Princess. He watched the other Kings as they processed the information they had just listened to. Nephrite was the first to speak up after the long awkward silence.

"Well, there's no denying it. Usagi is a part of this whether we like it or not. She clearly referenced the Princess and she clearly knows about Endymion. The question is what do we do with this information? Do we tell Mamoru? Do we confront Usagi with it?"

Kunzite stood up and paced the room slowly, deep in thought. "I think we're going to need to confront Usagi and determine what she knows about the Princess. I have to admit that the information that Zoisite has brought forward is troublesome. I'm unsure whether she actually _is_ the Princess or whether she is simply channelling the Princess' spirit because she is near Mamoru, and seems to have a soft spot for him. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the latter of the two."

Jadeite couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Oh come on Kun. Have some faith and believe that she is the Princess. Could you imagine if she was? It would make sense. Mamoru is always saying that he can't get that girl out of his head. He _still_ talked about her all the time even though he hadn't seen her in years. Do you know how many times he asked Zoisite or I, how she was? We were constantly having to go back to Rei and Ami to ask them how his little Odango was doing…" he noted. "Why else would he feel the constant need to know about her? I'm pretty certain that anyone would have moved on from a silly High School crush… especially, if the girl disappeared for 2 years. Wouldn't you?"

Nephrite nodded in agreement. "I have to admit that Jed makes a good point. Also, I've always told you guys that the stars for those two aligned…"

"... however, don't forget that you also indicated that you were uncertain how they aligned and that their path was shaky - at best," Kunzite interrupted. "Let's not try to make this all fit together before we have all the facts," he said sternly. "Implying that she is the Princess has far more repercussions than completing our mission. It means that we need to alert the Senshi, it means the Silver Crystal will come into play, etc. There are a lot of things we need to consider, not to mention, that from the sound of it she does not sound or act like a Princess. From what I remember about Princess Serenity, this Usagi person does not hold a candle to her."

"Always so negative Kun," Zoisite said rolling his eyes. "I think the best approach at this time is to do a little digging and see if we can find out anything else about Usagi. I suggest that we start with Rei and Ami first. They should be able to provide us with some insider information regarding her."

With that statement, they all agreed that Zoisite and Jadeite would try to extract as much information from their girlfriends as possible. Nephrite stayed behind for Mamoru's return as he would take up guarding the Prince for the next day. The other Kings retreated back to their normal daily schedules and left Mamoru's apartment.

* * *

The next day...

Jadeite lay in bed with his beautiful priestess, Rei, next to him. She looked up at him and leaned forward with a mirth-filled grin as she softly stroked his arm, and planted a loving kiss on him. "Well, that was fun," she said with a wink.

He placed his arm around her, molding her body to his and placed a small kiss on top of her head. "It certainly was," he said playing with her long raven coloured hair, deep in thought.

She watched him curiously as she lay on his chest looking up at him. She knew that something was plaguing his mind and that he wanted to discuss it but for some odd reason he wasn't bringing up the issue. He had always been transparent with his emotions and watching him deep in thought, she hoped that he wasn't second guessing their relationship. She knew they were meant to be together, they had been pulled together like two magnets over a year ago and they were inseparable since then.

Sitting up and carefully placing a sheet over herself she looked at him with worry in her eyes. "What's wrong Jed," she asked as she moved a stray piece of blond hair from his eyes. "While our night has been amazing, I feel like there's something you want to talk about but you haven't been able to do it," she asked softly, bracing herself for the worse.

Shifting in bed to face her, he grabbed her hand and stroked it softly. "Rei it's not you believe me…or me actually. It's about Mamoru," he stated awkwardly. "I know it's weird to bring him up right now but there's something that I need to talk to you about." He cursed himself for his poor timing. All he wanted to do was fall asleep next to his goddess but he couldn't help his Kings duties from plaguing his mind. "Nevermind, we can talk about it in the morning," he said feeling ridiculous talking about his Prince when he was lying in bed with Rei.

Rei cocked her head. 'Why would he want to talk about Mamoru right now?' she thought to herself. She knew Jadeite quite well and if he felt it was necessary to bring him up after their evening together, she knew it was for a purpose. That something _must_ be wrong. She moved closer to him, and gently stroked the side of his face. "What's wrong? Has the enemy been targeting him again?" she asked her voice full of concern.

Jadeite had made the decision approximately 6 months ago to tell Rei everything about his past and present. She was fully aware that Endymion was the Prince of Earth and Tuxedo Mask, that Kunzite, Jadeite, Zoisite and Nephrite were his Kings, and that they were searching for the Princess of the Moon. In return, he had been shocked and pleasantly surprised, to find out that Rei was Sailor Mars. She didn't reveal who the other Senshi were (however he had his suspicions) but she shared with him all of their findings regarding the Moon Princess as they searched for the same thing. Of important note, Rei was unaware that Usagi still believed Tuxedo Mask to be dead. If she did, she would have shared her thoughts on the subject, and confirmed that he was still alive without giving away his true identity. She knew that when Usagi would find out who Tuxedo Mask was that she would have a minor conniption.

Looking at Jadeite, she saw him hesitate before answering her question on whether anything happened to Mamoru. She was about to press further when he replied, "No, he's not in any greater danger than he usually is. I just…" he hesitated slightly before continuing his thought. "I need to know if Usagi is Sailor Moon," he said softly, voicing his true concerns for the first time. He hadn't shared them with the Kings as they were already so convinced that she had nothing to do with any of this. However, as he knew that Rei was Sailor Mars, he had deduced the identity of the other Senshi and it seemed fitting that Usagi would be Sailor Moon. Her Odango-like hair style giving her away.

Rei momentarily tensed at the insinuation that Jadeite was point blank asking her whether Usagi was Sailor Moon. While he was corrupt in his assumptions, it wasn't her place to tell him. That being said, if after months of not prying into the other Senshi's identities he was now pressing for Usagi's, there must be a reason. He had always been so honest about _all_ the information he provided her about the Kings, and she provided him with the bare minimum. She owed it to him, to at least confirm his suspicions. She nodded slowly acknowledging that Usagi was indeed Sailor Moon.

Jadeite smiled at her and placed a small kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for trusting me," he said softly. "I only have one more question…" he said pausing. "Do you think she's the Moon Princess?" He watched her eyes fill with amusement and then she erupted in laughter.

"Moon Princess?" she said in between chuckles. "I don't think so… there's no way that clumsy, irresponsible Usagi can be the Moon Princess we've all been searching for. I love her but there's no way that it's possible. She's the guardian of the Moon, not a Princess," she said winking at him and her laughter died down as she noticed that he was still looking at her quite seriously. "Wait, wait… do you guys actually think that she's the Moon Princess? Why? What happened last night at Mamoru's apartment," she asked seriously, realizing that something could have occurred.

Jadeite filled her in on the bizarre connection they noticed Mamoru had with Usagi and explained that he potentially had feelings for her. He felt horrible betraying Mamoru's trust but he needed Rei to know all of the details in order to provide the most educated answer regarding the possibility that Usagi could be the Moon Princess. He also explained that Zoisite had recorded part of Usagi's sleep talk and that it directly related to the Moon Princess.

Rei carefully considered the information that was being presented to her and had to agree that the situation was bizarre. Why was Usagi dreaming about the Moon Princess and why didn't she tell any of the Senshi she was? She realized that Usagi had been distant since her return but to keep crucial information such as this just confirmed how irresponsible the girl really was.

"I can't believe that she would keep this from us…" she said angrily. "She's NEVER told us that she's having dreams about the Moon Princess. You'd think, that would be something she would tell us, seeing that we're trying to find the Moon Princess. I am so aggravated at her right now," she fumed. "I'm sorry but it's really upsetting to think that she's going out of her way _not_ to tell us these things. If I was having dreams about the Moon Princess I would tell the whole group in an instance."

"Maybe she's freaked out," Jadeite suggested trying to calm the situation.

Rei mulled over his words and realised there might be some truth to it. Perhaps, Usagi was concerned about the dreams but she didn't know how to bring up the subject with the other Senshi. She decided that at the next Senshi meeting she would discuss the Moon Princess and see if Usagi would say anything. Thinking over what Jadeite shared she contemplated whether Usagi could be the Princess and couldn't help but continue to scoff at the idea. There was no way that she could be the Princess and that they would have had her under their watchful eyes this whole time. They would never throw the Princess in battles and risk her life repeatedly. Would they? She questioned to herself. The more she thought about the implications the more it could make sense. Perhaps, they wanted the Princess to learn how to fight and be stronger. If so, it was the perfect plan to make her a Senshi. She sighed feeling overwhelmed and shifted closer to Jadeite leaning into his chest. "Do you really think she might be the Moon Princess?" she whispered.

He shrugged as he wrapped his arms around her. "We have no idea… this is the first real clue that we've had regarding any female thinking about the Princess. We're just trying to piece together the information in order to determine whether she's dreaming about the Princess because she is the Princess OR because she's Sailor Moon OR because she was in close proximity to Mamoru. There are so many factors to take into consideration. I'll admit that the romantic in me, I know it's cheesy, but I wouldn't be opposed to her being the Princess. I suspect that Mamoru cares for Usagi more than he's willing to admit to any of us, and I'm sure he would be relieved, if he found out she was the Moon Princess. He was miserable while she was gone, and he's miserable again because they got into a pretty bad argument yesterday."

"Tell him to apologise for whatever he did. Usagi forgives easily, plus we've always suspected that she likes him," she said softly. She hesitated for a moment and placed a hand on his cheek moving his head towards her, "That being said… I think we've had enough chit chat regarding the would be couple of Mamoru and Usagi. How about we focus on another awesome couple?" she said with a wink and captured his mouth with hers. Jadeite gave her no protest, and flipped her onto her back as she let out a giggle and deepened the kiss mumbling in between heated kisses, " "Your wish is my command."


	5. Moon vs Mask

" _Serenity we meet again," came a strong masculine voice from behind a beautifully crafted water fountain. She saw a faceless figure step out from behind the fountain and she felt an immense amount of joy course through her veins. She skipped towards him and jumped into his arms, as he wrapped his heavily armored arms around her, and held on tightly. He lowered his head and planted an affectionate kiss on her willing lips._

 _Breaking apart momentarily, he whispered. "I missed you so much Sere," he said sweetly as he caressed her cheek and gently placed her feet back onto the ground. She leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss, "I missed you too Endymion," she said softly as she took in his scent, a mixture of roses and cologne. She tried to make out his facial features but they were blurred. She was however able to take in that he had dark hair, with what she thought was a glimpse of dark blue eyes. However, the more she attempted to determine who she was looking at the more her body ached. "Endymion," she choked out as he tried to reassure her and she let out a scream from the pain._

Usagi's own scream woke her from her deep sleep, as she sat up and pain radiated throughout her head. She grabbed her forehead and massaged her temples slightly to try and ease the pain for a few moments, finally flopping back down onto her bed. She was drenched in sweat and she felt as though a truck had run her over multiple times. She could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest and she momentarily wondered if she was going to die from a heart attack. Shifting to her side, she replayed the dream over in her mind, realizing that something was very different about this version of her dream. This was the first time that she was ever able to see some of the features of the Prince. She now knew that he had jet black hair and that he could potentially have dark blue eyes.

Slowly, he was showing himself to her and she was grateful for the small glimpse. She wondered what it meant that she was able to see some features. Did it mean that he would reveal himself to her shortly? There was something so familiar about him, not just his scent but the way he spoke to her. Sure, she had been dreaming about him for weeks but there was something today that was familiar. She just couldn't put her finger on it. The more she tried to determine who he was, the more her headache soared, as if warning her, not to test the fates and to stop thinking about the Prince's identity. She tried to push her limits further, but she was met with a nauseating headache which forced her out onto her balcony for some much needed air. She crawled onto the cement floor and leaned her back against the wall.

These days the only thing that could soothe her hellish nightmares was the cool air from outside or a cold shower. The frequency of her dreams were intensifying ever since her fateful night at Mamoru's and she was having difficulty sleeping even for a few hours. She feared falling asleep as she would dream either about the Princess and Prince, or witness death over and over again. She couldn't escape the dreams. There were even times when she was at the library and she would nod off and they would haunt her. Her fatigue was catching up with her and she wasn't quite sure how she could appease her mind. She didn't understand why she was dreaming _all the time_ about the Princess. While her dreams had started off with her seeing the Princess and the Prince, now she was only dreaming of being the Princess. That was the part that concerned her.

Thinking about the dreams and the feelings that dwelled within her, she often wondered whether she was the blasted Princess that everyone was searching for. If she was, wouldn't she remember? Wouldn't she be more… royal? She continuously tossed the idea aside and tried to disregard it. Instead, she determined that she was dreaming about the Princess because she was her guardian and the leader of the Senshi; it was the only thing that made sense. Right? she thought to herself. It had to be the only solution, and not that she was this Moon Princess. If she was, she knew she couldn't handle the pressure. Exasperated at the situation she placed her head in her hands and silently cried out in frustration. She was so tired, so annoyed with the dreams, and felt so alone. To make things worse, she didn't know how to talk to her friends about what was happening to her for fear that they might think she was crazy.

The day before, Rei had pulled her aside and asked her whether she was having any weird dreams. In return she had explained that she was having some disturbing dreams but didn't give any details about the Princess. She wasn't sure why she didn't give any but something told her not to, so she didn't. She just explained that she was having dreams about death and a fallen Kingdom. Those details had been enough to satisfy Rei and she had moved on to her next favourite subject these days: Mamoru. Ever since the attack and the fact that Mamoru had saved Usagi, the girls wouldn't stop pestering her for details of their night together. She had tried to tell them that nothing happened and that he was still a jerk but they wouldn't leave the subject.

After leaving his apartment in tears, she had made her way to the Temple where Rei informed her that she had her things and returned to her apartment. She had immediately dropped out of her class with Mamoru and enrolled into another one that she knew he wouldn't be in. She decided that she would catch up on her Calculus course the following semester. There was no way that she could face him willingly three times per week. This way she limited her interactions with him to chance encounters only.

While it had been 5 days since she had seen Mamoru, she was more than happy, that the gods had granted her some well deserved peace. She had been concerned that she would be cursed to bump into him repeatedly as she had in Middle School and High School but the gods wouldn't have it that way. She had only bumped into his annoying friend Zoisite, who tried to apologise for the comments he had made about her, and told her that she was overreacting. In order to get him to stop following her around, she just agreed with the apology and that, had been enough to get him to leave her but not before he commented on the fact that she should give Mamoru another chance. She remembered scoffing at the idea and rolling her eyes, stating that her and Mamoru could never be friends, and stormed off.

Now that she was sitting on the concrete balcony looking out over the city before her, she wondered what he was doing. She hated that he still tormented her thoughts and that she was feeling more and more compelled to talk to him. It was as though everything in her body was willing her to go to him except for her mind. He should be the last person, that she cared for on earth. Yet, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Sighing and leaning against her balcony door she tried to focus on the rising sun in the horizon, instead of Mamoru, and watched the sight she was so used of seeing these days.

After the sun was well into the sky, she gathered herself off the ground and made her way back into her apartment and started to prepare herself for the school day ahead of her. She took a quick shower, had breakfast and made her way out of the apartment in record time. The positive side effect of not sleeping, was that she never missed her alarm and didn't need to hit the snooze button. She took out her cellphone as she walked and checked through her text messages. 'Nothing important,' she thought to herself as she read a text message from Makoto inviting her out for dinner that night and another one from Ami reminding her there was a Senshi meeting tomorrow and not to make other plans. 'Like I have other plans,' she thought bitterly as she put the phone back into her purse.

She made a right at the corner of the street and was immediately blasted with a violent gust of wind that made her skid across the sidewalk. She screamed out in pain as the sidewalk cut into her bare legs. 'Great day to wear a fricking skirt,' she thought to herself as she stood back up defensively trying to figure out what had just happened. She looked quickly down at her bloodied legs and then looked at the scene before her. There were multiple civilians fighting one another yet they seemed to be possessed. She watched closely as men, women and children were tearing each other apart. 'What's going on?' she thought to herself, and jumped out of the way as a flower pot was thrown towards her. It was pure chaos.

She ducked behind a tree and pulled out her communicator, pressing the emergency button. Four faces immediately appeared before her. "Guys," she wailed, "there is something seriously wrong at the shopping district. You need to come and…" she couldn't finish the sentence as she felt a hand grab her arm which yanked her from behind the tree. As a result, she dropped her communicator letting out a shriek. She turned to face her attacker, a burly man, who had no expression across his face. He seemed to be blindly attacking. She fought to get his hand off of her arm and when she continued to fail she kicked him in the gut. He let out of an enraged roar as he let her go, and she grabbed her communicator from the ground and ran as fast as her legs could take her.

Ducking into an alley she spoke quickly into the communicator. "You NEED to come NOW!" she screamed as the other girls nodded in agreement and their faces disappeared from the screen. She threw the communicator back into her bag and searched for her brooch. She pulled it out, and placed her purse and school bag behind the dumpster in the alley. Looking down at the brooch she took a deep breath, "You can do this" she said to herself.

"MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE UP!" she shouted as she felt the familiar power travel throughout her body. Ribbons erupted around her as her regular clothes were replaced by her Sailor Fuku, her shoes turned into boots and her hands became gloved. Standing in the alley she clenched and unclenched her fists as her transformation finished. "Alright let's do this you evil bastards," she whispered and ran out of the alley into the chaos beyond.

* * *

Meanwhile across town, Mamoru was at the gym with Kunzite when he felt a familiar pain erupt throughout his body as he struggled to hit the emergency button on the treadmill. The machine eventually stopped as he grabbed his head letting out a groan, dropping to his knees. Kunzite reacted quickly, turning off his own machine and jumping over to Mamoru's rescue. He kneeled down next to him, "What's going on?" he asked trying to get Mamoru to let go of his head.

"She's transforming," he choked out, surprised that it felt like Sailor Moon was transforming. It was taking all of his power to fight against the spontaneous transformation that was sure to come. Kunzite looked around the gym and saw that there were too many people in their vicinity and decided to drag Mamoru to the unused group exercise room where they could openly talk. Once inside the room, Kunzite looked around quickly, "There's no one here," he said calmly.

That was all Mamoru needed to hear and let go of his control over the transformation, the tuxedo wrapped itself around him along with the cape, his mask and hat, as he turned into his alter ego Tuxedo Mask. He flopped onto his back breathing wildly, "What the fuck is going on?" he asked looking back up at Kunzite who was now staring down at him. "She's supposed to be dead," he said sitting up. "DEAD KUNZITE. How is this happening? I saw her die…DIE," he said panic starting to take over as he stood up with Kunzite's help.

"Well, clearly she's not dead," Kunzite said calmly. "Are you sure you saw her die? I mean, she hasn't fought in years and all of the attacks we've seen recently she hasn't been present. Maybe, it's a trap," he noted. "I wouldn't be surprised if this new enemy is trying to play off of your weaknesses."

Tuxedo Mask glared back at him. "I don't think that's it… I need to see for myself what's happening" he said walking over to the balcony that was incorporated into the exercise room. "I can feel her fighting and she's struggling," he noted as he opened the door.

"My Prince," Kunzite said stepping forward and putting an arm out in front of him. "I'm cautioning you against this. You shouldn't engage in this without us knowing whether she's really back or not," he said sternly.

"Let's agree to disagree Kunzite," he said moving his arm to the side and jumping off the balcony.

* * *

The Senshi arrived in the Shopping District to complete disorder. It seemed that the whole district was fighting against each other. Broken windows littered the sidewalks, cars were on fire, and a bloody mess was amassing. The Senshi searched the scene for their leader but they couldn't find her.

"Where is she…?" Mars worried as she looked out into the crowd. Since her conversation with Jadeite five nights ago she worried for Usagi. There seemed to be some sort of truth behind the words they had spoken and now it didn't seem as ridiculous that Usagi might be the Princess. It wouldn't be _that_ far fetched if Sailor Moon, was a ruse to hide the Moon Princess. Something about the whole situation made sense to her. She hadn't shared it with the others yet but she would be sure to do so as soon as possible, especially given the rising dread in the pit of her stomach at their missing leader.

"Can anyone see her?" Jupiter said as she strained her eyes over the crowd looking for the two little odangos.

Venus all of a sudden screamed out pointing to the right, where they could see Sailor Moon fighting off, what appeared to be an angry mob. For someone who had not fought in quite sometime she was doing a pretty good job. They all ran towards her and stood by her side.

"Oh my god guys, I am so happy to see you," Moon said out of breath. "I'm not quite sure what to do. Have you guys seen what's happening? They're human from what I can tell," she said exasperated. "I can't attack them if they're human. I've literally just been in a fist fight with them, that's it."

Mercury took out her computer and surveyed the crowd trying to determine their situation. In pulling up the data she realized (and explained to the Senshi) that not all of the humans before them were humans. She explained that some were drones and they were emitting a dark energy that was tainting all of the humans around them forcing them to fight. She told the Senshi to focus on the "humans" who had black moon markings on their foreheads.

"How did I NOT notice that before?" Moon exclaimed as she now saw that some of the humans clearly had upside down moon markings on their foreheads. "I'm blind sometimes but that's ridiculous," she said belittling herself once more.

Venus patted her shoulder. "No worries Sailor Moon. I'm sure you were preoccupied by the actual fight and not facial markings. Now I say we split up and try to take care of as many drones as we can," she said leaping into the fight.

Mars wanted to protest about leaving Moon by herself but decided that this was not the time or place to open up that discussion. "Everyone be careful," she said looking at Moon in particular and went off into the opposite direction from Venus.

Jupiter and Mercury looked towards Moon. "We'll take care of this little crowd over here. How about you try to find out who's orchestrating this thing… My guess is that it's that guy over there," Jupiter said pointing to a shadow on top of one of the roofs.

Moon nodded, happy that she would have a small breather before she needed to confront, whoever she would find on that roof. "Good luck girls," she said as she ran off towards the building. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline. She ducked as someone leaped at her, and continued running. She was thankful that the drones didn't appear to have any powers and they were solely physical attackers. She looked up to the rooftop and noticed that the shadow was now gone. Temporarily confused she looked around to locate her target but she couldn't see it anywhere until she heard a maniacal laugh behind her.

She spun on her heels and was face to face with a red-haired man with glaring crimson eyes that seemed to bore into her. He wore a military style dark green jacket with black trimming, black pants and army boots. She also took note to the upside down black moon on his forehead.

"Don't look so surprised to see me, Miss Moon," he glared at her. "We would have found you eventually," he hissed.

Sailor Moon simply stared at him, unsure how to respond as she clearly did not know who he was. She decided to play along though to see if he would give her any information, "Well, I'm not surprised that you would stoop so low as to attack innocent human beings," she spat out.

"Oh no one is innocent Miss Moon," he said approaching her. "Not even you…" he said eyeing her.

She instinctively moved backwards as he approached her. "Keep your distant," she said putting out her hand. "Or else I will blast you to hell and back," she threatened.

"I'm not scared of you Miss Moon… especially given your current condition," he said stopping in front of her and grabbing her hand forcing her to him. "Although, I have to admit I'm a little surprised at your appearance… thought you could hide from us with a simple change of your hair colour?" he asked as he passed a hand through her hair. He then tightened his grip on her hair forcing her head towards him, stopping when her face was inches away from his. She winced at the pain that passed through her head as he yanked her towards him and whispered into her ear, "It's only a matter of time before we take over this planet. You might have been able to defeat Beryl, but that was a fluke. You won't be able to defeat us so easily this time," he threatened.

She stared at him as he taunted her about taking over the world and not failing this time. The way he was speaking was like he knew her from the past, which was confirmed even more by his comment about her hair. She had never dyed her hair once and for him to mention that her hair colour was different, alarmed her. The only time she had a different colour of hair was in her dreams… when she was the Princess. Panic was starting to course through her as the realization that he might know her from another lifetime settled in. She tried to move out of his grip but he only tightened his hold on her. Adrenaline rushed into her veins as she fought to get out of his hold. After a few moments of useless struggling, she settled on kneeing him between the legs. Immediately, his grip loosened as she took several steps away from him. "Don't you dare threaten me or this planet," she screamed, as he tumbled backwards.

Glaring at her, he jumped up and smirked. "Wrong move Miss Moon," he said as he created balls of dark energy in both of his hands. "He might want you unharmed but I know better than to let you live," he hissed as he aimed and released the balls of energy at her.

Instinctively she threw her arms up to protect against the blast, when she felt a familiar arm wrap itself around her waist and push her out of harm's way. The scent of roses and _that_ cologne filled her nostrils, as she wrapped her arms around her masked saviour and looked up at him, "How are you alive?" she whispered as she stared at him in disbelief as they landed on a nearby rooftop.

Realizing that she must be hallucinating and that this was probably a trick from the enemy, she moved away from him quickly, making sure there was a good distance between the two. "Who are you? Tuxedo Mask is dead…" she stated bluntly.

He looked at her incredulously as she stared back at him with daggers in her eyes. Looking at her, he felt like he had seen that look recently and narrowed his eyes. "You think _I'm_ dead? Why aren't you dead?" he spat back in disbelief. "How are _you_ alive?" he asked taking a step towards her.

For every step he took towards her she took one backwards. "I.. I…" she stammered. Truth be told, she was overwhelmed with everything that was happening and finally broke down. Her brain couldn't comprehend what was happening in that very moment, it felt like her whole life and all of her beliefs were falling apart. While she was relieved and overjoyed that Tuxedo Mask appeared to be alive, nothing made sense. Never had she felt so confused about everything that was happening around her. She slumped her head in defeat and finally answered his question, "I don't know how I'm alive but I somehow survived that fight," she said referring to the battle with Beryl. "How did you survive? I saw you die…" she said softly trying to fight back the tears. Realizing, that all of the nightmares and countless days thinking about his fallen body had been for nothing.

"I honestly don't remember everything that happened that night," he lied, trying to avoid the Prince conversation, he knew he would eventually have to have with everyone. "But I definitely know that I was knocked out shortly after you were," and then 'I regained consciousness as four of my Generals stood over me explaining my past,' he thought. He wished he could share with her what had truly happened that night, or what he saw, but he wasn't prepared to explain everything yet. He would, when they were not in a battle and when things had calmed down a bit. Right now, he needed to ensure that she regained her lost trust in him and that she understood it was truly him standing before her and not an imposter.

He walked up to her cautiously and put his hands on her shoulders. "Sailor Moon," he began looking down at her petite frame. "I hope that you know that I would never have misled you in thinking that I had died," he said gently placing his hand under her chin, and lifting it up. "I would never do that to you… I honestly thought something had occurred to you. If I knew you were still around, I would have found you," he stated softly. "You have no idea how happy I am to see that you're alive," he said quietly as he embraced her. He knew he was being forward but he couldn't help it. All of the guilt that he had for the past two years was slowly seeping out of his body as he held onto her.

"I'm so happy that you're alive too," she choked back into his chest as her small gloved hands clutched his tuxedo and then slowly wrapped around his midsection.

"Wow… aren't you two just the cutest little couple," the red-haired man said rolling his eyes. "How about we focus on the task at hand and not some sappy reunion between two idiots who thought one another was dead," he spat.

Tuxedo Mask let go of Sailor Moon and stood in front of her protectively. "Who the hell are you?" he growled as he glared at the red haired man floating 10 feet away from them.

"I thought no one would ask," he said sarcastically. "For your information, my name is Rubeus, sworn enemy of the White Moon and loyal follower of the Black Moon. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me before cape boy," he taunted. "Now step aside and let me have a little conversation with Miss Moon over there? We have some unfinished business and I want her to know something important."

"Over my dead body," he threatened closing the gap between himself and Sailor Moon. "You need to go through me to get to her," he said defensively. In looking at Rubeus, he knew that he couldn't let him near Sailor Moon. Already he had placed his hands on her today and he refused to allow him to touch her again. Before he could continue to berate him, he was interrupted by four unified voices.

"And us," the four inner Senshi said in unison as they now stood between Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon.

Rubeus rolled his eyes. "Always such pests all of you," he said feigning boredom, however, realizing that he was severely outnumbered. There was no point in engaging Sailor Moon in conversation now. He would wait until she was alone and powerless to do that. Instead, he summoned his drones onto the roof as he floated into the sky letting dozens of drones invade. "That should keep you all busy for a little while," he laughed maniacally. "Oh and Miss Moon," he said boring his eyes into her. "We will be chatting sooner rather than later," he said winking at her and disappearing into a dark purple cloud.

"What the hell was that?" Sailor Moon exclaimed as she looked to the others. "Why is he focusing on me? What did I do?" she screamed as fear started to seep into her. The way he had looked at her was almost like he knew her. Did he know who she was? Did he think she was the Princess? What did he want from her? She asked herself over and over again. Ironically, she would have felt better about the situation, if he would have stuck around and she could have asked him more questions. Now she was left with no answers but a mounting list of questions. Her thoughts were interrupted when Tuxedo Mask put a hand on her shoulder trying to get her attention.

"Sailor Moon… don't worry we'll protect you," he said softly, and vowed to do so personally, if need be. He wouldn't lose her again but now was not the time to declare that to her as the drones were attacking from all angles. "For now though we need to take care of that," he said motioning to the drones that were being blasted by the Senshi.

She nodded in agreement, as she assessed the situation. Mars and Jupiter had managed to take out about 12 drones, and Venus and Mercury were about to take out another dozen. She tried to determine the best course of action to get rid of the drones quickly before the Senshi tired out. While she could have used her tiara she knew that it would take out 2 drones at the most. She needed a more powerful attack and made her Moon Wand appear in front of her, deciding she had nothing to lose. She looked down at it in her hands and wondered what she could do to help. She was always so reliant on the Senshi to lend her powers or to weaken the yomas to allow her attack to be successful. Calling on her power she knew that she could turn her healing wand into an attack if she just concentrated enough. She would try and replicate what happened in the Beryl Fight.

Taking a deep breath she determined she would try and blast as many as she could with a continuous exertion of power transferred into her wand. She concentrated as she lifted the wand into the sky and brought it back in front of her pointing it at the leftover drones. She closed her eyes, willing herself to feel her power and forced it through her wand. Opening her eyes she released the power sending a blinding light which eliminated all of the drones before them, turning them to dust.

After the last bit of power left her, she collapsed to her knees as Tuxedo Mask caught her and breathed deeply. She was surprised at the amount of energy she expended and welcomed the strong arms supporting her weight.

"Thank you…" she said as she slumped further into Tuxedo Mask's arms. "I guess two years will make someone a little rusty," she said with a little laugh trying to lighten the mood.

Mars stepped forward before Moon could continue her train of thought. Now that she knew that Mamoru was Tuxedo Mask (and that he was a smart guy), she didn't need him putting two and two together about Usagi. There was already enough awkward tension between them in civilian form. They really didn't need the awkwardness to transcend into their alter egos as well. "Alright, thank you very much Tuxedo Mask," she said putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you can leave her with us and we'll take care of her," she said trying to make him leave.

He reluctantly let go of Sailor Moon and looked at her curiously. "Don't worry I was about to leave but I do have one question Sailor Moon," he said looking at her. She lifted her eyes to meet his and waited for his question. "Where have you been? Why haven't I seen you fighting?"

"Because I was travelling overseas specifically in America and going to school," she replied with a small smile. "That's why I wasn't here to fight but now I am. These guys," she said motioning her head at the Senshi, "made sure of that."

Mars wanted to smack Usagi across the head for divulging that type of information. She watched Tuxedo Mask carefully wondering if he understood the implications of the words. Even Jadeite had understood them the other night. Then she saw it; the slight flinch, the understanding spreading across his face as he realised _who_ was kneeling before him, and the implications of their now very complicated relationship having become that much more complicated.

Tuxedo Mask stood dumbfounded in front of Sailor Moon. He couldn't believe how he had never seen it before. How did he _not_ put two and two together? It was the only logical answer as to who Sailor Moon was. It was always Usagi. They looked so similar now that he stared back into those cerulean eyes he liked so much. For years he had felt an unnatural attraction to Usagi and Sailor Moon, and now it all made sense. They were the same person. Clumsy, crybaby Usagi was the fearless leader of the Senshi. How did he not see it? He simply stared at her and tried to keep his mouth from dropping to the floor. All he could do was look at her and realized that somehow it all made sense. Even though she was clumsy, she lacked motivation at school and she was so carefree, she was strong. She always stood up for herself and defended her friends without question. It was the same attitude the famed heroine possessed.

Staring at her for far too long, he realized that she was staring back, giving him a questioning look as to why he had frozen. He cleared his throat, "Sounds like it would have been fun to travel," he forced out. "I hope that you're happy to be back."

"I guess I am," she said softly as she straightened herself out, her energy coming back to her. "I've only been back for 2 weeks so I'm still adjusting."

He forced a smile and nodded. Truth was, even though it made sense, he was still having a hard time digesting the information and he was partially convinced he might pass out in front of them from the overload of information. All of the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Not only was Usagi standing before him but he realized in looking at the other Senshi, that he knew them as well. They had to be the usual suspects: Makoto, Minako, Rei and Ami. There was no way around it. His gaze fell on Mars, who was staring back at him, and he could tell that _she knew_ what was going on. She had always been transparent about her feelings and emotions, and he could definitely tell that she knew who he was. He'd make sure to talk to her later and find out exactly what she knew and what Jadeite had shared as information. For now, he needed to get out of there before he started asking too many questions and started revealing who he was to the entire group.

Shooting Mars a look that implied he would be speaking with her soon, he spoke to the others.

"Well ladies my work here is done," he noted. "I'm glad you're back Sailor Moon… Until next time," he said tipping his hat slightly and jumped off the building making a run for it. All he kept thinking was that he needed to get out of there to evaluate this new information. How could he never have put together that the Senshi were Usagi and her friends? How did he _never_ see it? Was he that blind? For someone who was supposedly smart, he was feeling pretty dumb right now.

A few blocks away from the attack he let his transformation fade when no one was looking and ran a hand nervously through his hair. "How did I never notice?" he asked himself again as he tried to calmly walk back to his apartment. As he did, he wondered who else was aware of the Senshi's identity. Did all the Kings know? Was he the only one who had no clue? Oh gods, did Usagi know that he was Tuxedo Mask and she never said anything? Questions continued to plague his mind until he reached his apartment door and shut it behind him. He leaned against the door and let out a shaky breath. "Maybe I'm wrong… that's it I've got to be wrong," he said to himself as he walked to his living and sat down on one of the couches. "They can't be the Senshi... "

"Who can't be the Senshi, Mamoru?" Kunzite asked as he stepped into the living room.

"Oh gods, you scared me! Why do you all insist on sneaking up on me in my OWN apartment? I swear to the gods I'm going to get my lock replaced. You give me no privacy," he said throwing his head back against the couch and putting both his hands through his hair. "You're all making me go crazy…"

"Mamoru, we've already explained to you that one of us will be here at all times. This should not be a surprise to you but you're obviously frazzled," Kunzite replied calmly looking over his Prince. "What happened during the fight?"

"Oh you mean the fact that Sailor Moon is not dead?" he said sarcastically. "Or maybe the fact that Usagi is Sailor Moon? Rei is Sailor Mars? Makoto is Sailor Jupiter? Minako is Sailor Venus? Ami is Sailor Mercury? Or that there's a new evil that seems to have a vested interest in Usagi? Which one would you like to pick because I'm freaking out over all of them."

"Clearly," Kunzite said trying to remain calm with the situation. While he had his suspicions that those girls were the Senshi, this was the first time that he was receiving confirmation of such. He wondered if two of his generals, Jadeite and Zoisite, were already aware of this information. If they were a stern conversation would have to be had with them as they were keeping crucial information from the group. It was unacceptable not to share the identity of the Senshi if they knew it. He stored the information in his mind and made note to berate them with questions later today. Turning his attention back to Mamoru, he continued his train of thought. "I'd appreciate discussing why the new enemy has a vested interest in Usagi. What does that mean?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? All I know is that some guy with red hair shows up and starts spewing information about the Black Moon destroying the White Moon. I'll be honest though… it wasn't that, that bothered me. It was the way he had his hands on her," he said darkly as a flash of anger crossed his eyes and continued, "and insinuating that she should know what was happening but she had no clue."

"What was his name?"

"I think he said it was Rubeus," Mamoru stated as he tried to recall the conversation. He watched Kunzite closely. "What… why are you looking at me like that?"

Kunzite cleared his throat. "Endymion," he said using his Prince name to emphasize the gravity of the situation. "If I'm correct, his full name is Crimson Rubeus a rebel from our previous lifetime. Him along with a handful of other rebels tried to take down the Moon Kingdom prior to Beryl and they were banished by Queen Serenity. They must have been reborn in this lifetime," he said shaking his head.

Mamoru narrowed his eyes as he listened to Kunzite's explanation of who Rubeus was. He tried to recall his past memories about the rebels, moving cobwebs out of the way and searching his poorly organized memories but it was proving difficult. While he remembered being Prince Endymion and regained most of his memories, he still had difficulties recalling them especially when they were linked to the Princess. It seemed that everything that related to her was stuck in fog in his mind. Some instances, he would get clear glimpses of their time together but never would he see her face. He had realized a few months ago that if she was still hiding from him, it meant that his memories would still keep her secret. It had to be that. What he didn't understand and would never understand, was how he had awakened and she hadn't. Why was it they were still searching for her? Why hadn't the Silver Crystal reacted to his awakening? Nothing made sense to him and as he traveled through his vast memories, he inwardly shook his head, hating once again that his own mind was playing tricks on him.

Sighing he lifted his head from the backing of the couch and closed his eyes. 'Focus Mamoru… why does all of this sound familiar? Why is Rubeus familiar?' he thought to himself as he continued his search. At that moment, something jumped into his mind: white hair, icy cold violet eyes, a white and dark purple cape billowing in the air, and the promise being uttered that he would capture his most precious prize: Serenity. Mamoru's eyes flew open at the memory and the feeling of dread filled his entire being. "Is this the group of rebels with Prince Diamond?" he questioned as Kunzite nodded and his heart sank further.

Several attempts had been made at Serenity's capture for the Silver Crystal but he _knew_ , he had seen the way that vile creature Diamond looked at her, that the Prince's pull towards her was not purely for power but for her. While he couldn't exactly define Diamond's facial features he remembered vividly his stature along with some features, as the memories placed themselves an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

Snippets of veiled threats and longing stares towards Serenity passed through his mind the longer he thought about Diamond's pull towards her. He prayed to the gods that Diamond was not to blame for the recent attacks and that he wasn't after the Princess or the Crystal. However, thinking it through, he realized that it was the perfect plan. The Princess hadn't been revealed but _they_ might know who she was. What better way to disarm the Senshi and ensure the capture of the Princess and the Crystal, if no one knew who she was. They could potentially already have her and they would be none the wiser. While that was a fleeting thought in his mind, he knew that if she had already been captured, Rubeus would not have acted the way he was.

He turned to Kunzite voicing his concerns. "We need to find the Princess… she might be in a lot more danger than we think. What happens if _they know who she is?_ "

"That's exactly what I fear might be occurring. If they have all of their previous lives memories and they remember who she is, and she doesn't, she's effectively a sitting duck."

"I think we're going to have to let the Senshi know what's going on. We can't keep on leaving them in the dark... ," Mamoru suggested. "It's time that we all join forces and that we work together. If we do, maybe we'll be able to find the Princess quicker. I'm certain that Rei knows exactly what's going on," he stated flatly.

"Very well. Then we start with her and we see what type of intel we can get officially," Kunzite said. "I'll contact Jadeite and let him know that his little girlfriend is about to have a lunch date with us," he said getting up and going to place a phone call.

Mamoru was left sitting on the couch pondering what would occur now that the Black Moon had revealed themselves with the intent of seeking to destroy the White Moon. In thinking about the situation and the fight, he couldn't prevent his mind from wandering to Usagi. He was worried about her well being and the way that Rubeus had insinuated he knew her. Did he know her because of her past as Sailor Moon or because she meant more to their cause than simply being a Senshi? Closing his eyes once more he breathed in deeply, and repeated to himself that Rubeus was directly speaking to her. He. _knew._ her. Once again it meant that Usagi was more intricately linked to this whole situation than everyone previously thought. What happened if she was the Princess and she didn't know? Could she be? Would this explain his unnatural pull towards her? He silently resolved that until proven otherwise, he would assume she was _his_ Princess. It made sense to believe she was and as he thought this, he heard that familiar voice confirming that he was right. He just hoped that he would officially remember soon as he was unaware whether his heart could deal with the earth shattering truth if she wasn't his Princess.

Shifting his thoughts, he recalled the fight and how weak Usagi had been when he left her. He hoped that she had regained enough power to get home safely and that the Senshi were taking care of her. He suddenly felt awful for leaving her behind. While he knew that her friends would comfort her, he realized that _he_ wanted to comfort her and get her through this. He wanted to tell her that everything would be ok and that he would protect her. He also wanted to talk about what Rubeus had said and reassure her that she wasn't in this alone.

Placing his head back on the couch, and staring up at the ceiling, he vowed to find her after they spoke to Rei. He would be transparent about everything including who he was, how he felt about her and that he had serious concerns for her safety. While he wouldn't tell her his theory that she might indeed be the Princess (no one believed him anyway) he would provide her with enough information about the rebels to ensure her safety. The hardest part about his plan would be locating her and retrieving the information from Rei. He hoped that he would find an ally in her and not resistance. If it was the latter of the two he would exercise his status as Prince to get him what he wanted, whether she liked it or not. No one would stand between him and keeping Usagi safe anymore.


	6. Desires of the Past

Rubeus phased into a ornately decorated ballroom littered with tall white marble columns and purple curtains which framed the windows they were placed over. Walking slowly, his boots echoed throughout the room as he saw his target sitting on a large throne in the middle of the room sipping on a glass of red wine. The man in question wore a white suit with intricate violet carvings and a purple cape that fell majestically to the floor beside him. His white hair fell forward as he twirled the red wine in his glass, not even bothering to look at Rubeus as he approached him.

Rubeus advanced towards him cautiously, unsure of what foul mood he might be in, and a stopped several feet from the man. Clearing his throat, he bowed deeply and addressed him in a formal manner. "Prince Diamond," he stated as he removed himself from his bow. "I have some important news following our attack on Earth."

Prince Diamond stopped swirling his wine and lifted his violet eyes focusing his icy stare on Rubeus. Truth was, he had been impatiently waiting for news from the attack and Rubeus (in his opinion) was late to deliver it. He placed the glass down gently on the table next to him and cocked his head, "Go on…" he stated simply containing the excitement he was starting to channel. For years, he had been waiting for this battle to occur and for _her_ to finally show herself. He only hoped, they were finally able to lure the elusive Sailor Moon, and that all of the rumours about her reincarnation were true.

Feeling Prince Diamond's energy shift Rubeus pressed on. "As you know we had a run in with the Senshi this morning and they defeated the drones that we sent to the marketplace," he stated pausing slightly, trying to formulate his next thoughts knowing fully well the weight they held. "What was peculiar about today's encounter... was Sailor Moon finally showed herself," he said hesitantly, as Diamond's eyes widened with a glint of joy at the news.

Rubeus took a few seconds to think about the implications of finally finding _Sailor Moon_ and confirming the rumours. No matter which way he looked at her, she had an uncanny resemblance to the Moon Princess. Months ago, a man named Wiseman had advised all of the Black Moon clan (and anyone who would listen) that the Princess had potentially been reincarnated as Sailor Moon. He explained (in detail) that Beryl in the last moments of her life came face to face with the horrid Princess, who ultimately defeated her. Thinking quickly she laid a curse on the Senshi and Prince of Earth, cursing them not to remember one another's identity. Rubeus remembered scoffing at the old man's tale thinking he was fabricating an elaborate story but after seeing the Senshi in action today and truly seeing Sailor Moon, he knew there might be some truth to the elaborate tale.

He recalled what Wiseman had carefully explained about the curse and how it served three purposes:

The first, and most important, ensured the Princess would never fully awaken or gain her monumental powers. Instead, Beryl made sure that her memories would stay sealed and if ever they were to start seeping out, they would only manifest in dreams to lead to confusion and anxiety about her identity. As an added bonus, she also guaranteed that for every memory the Princess regained, energy would slowly be drained from her, using them as a weapon and increasing the power of any enemy that approached the Senshi. So far, this held some truth as the Black Crystal had been soaring recently and it was definitely not because of the power they collected. If the curse worked appropriately, he hoped the Princess would eventually destroy herself through exhaustion or they would finally be able to defeat her in her weakest form.

The second focused on the Prince and ensured that he would remember his own identity and heritage, however; he would be unable to determine who the Princess was and as a result he could not defend her adequately. Wiseman was unclear on the purpose to have the Prince remember parts of his life, and not others, but he suspected it was to slowly drive the Prince mad. And most importantly, to deter him from focusing on the unrest in the Earth's energy, as darkness slowly consumed its pure energy. It really was brilliant. If he was preoccupied with something else, he wouldn't channel the disturbances occurring around him, and would not feel that his planet was suffering, resulting in its ultimate demise.

In addition, the Kings and Senshi's memories were sanitized to remove all traces of their reign of terror with Beryl. Instead their memories were replaced by a normal upbringing in Tokyo which did not involve fighting but being best friends with the Prince. This was done as a safety measure to ensure that if ever there was a need to reawaken them as warriors of the Dark Kingdom, they would be ready to strike, at the Prince's side. He'd never see it coming because he had no knowledge it occurred.

The third and final reason for the elaborate curse was: without them knowing their full identities or potentials they would be unable to fully access the power of their crystals. The confusion and turmoil they would be feeling would disrupt the power of the crystals as they relied heavily on their emotions. Wiseman had indicated that as a team the two were formidable opponents but separately they were mere humans with a few special skills. Keeping them apart from each other ensured the Black Moon's survival. Their memories would only be freed when the timing was right and the silver crystal could be called forward for them to claim it as their own.

When Rubeus advised Wiseman the whole theory seemed far fetched, and that Beryl would have tried to kill them instead, he quickly retorted that she was not strong enough in her final moments to complete the deed. But Rubeus did not fully believe him. Why did he know all of this information? Did Beryl really place a curse? Who was this Wiseman and why did everyone agree with his story. It unsettled him to think that the old man had more to do with this whole thing than he was letting on.

When he had brought forward his concerns to Diamond, he had simply shrugged them off, already too distracted with trying to find the Princess. Diamond simply noted that Rubeus should not be concerned with the final moments and only focus on locating the Princess. As a result, he followed his Prince's commands, and started low grade attacks across the Juuban district. After 6 weeks of efforts, it had finally paid off, and Rubeus was now very hesitant to share the information with Diamond. He knew it would send him into an obsessive tailspin and wondered what Wiseman would do if he knew Diamond's secret plans to capture the Princess for his own pleasure. Diamond had always been infatuated with the ethereal Moon goddess and it seemed that in this lifetime the obsession would continue on. Something told him that Wiseman would not be onboard with the plan and it frightened him to see what would occur between the two.

He needed to understand better what Wiseman was planning on doing and he would make sure to enlist the help of the Ayakashi Sisters. He needed to know why he had shared this information? Why had he chosen Prince Diamond to fulfill the pursuit? He feared for his Prince's safety and wondered how everything would play out for him. He couldn't care less what happened to the Moon brat but he doubted how truthful Wiseman was about this supposed curse and his hands off approach with capturing the Princess. He just didn't trust him.

His thoughts were momentarily interrupted when he saw Diamond shifting uncomfortably, waiting for the news. 'Had he spoken while I was in thought?' he thought to himself as he stared at his Prince.

"Rubeus… Is it her?" he repeated sternly.

Rubeus couldn't lie. He knew damn well it was her. Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity were definitely one and the same. Slowly he nodded at Diamond's question, "I honestly believe it is her. Look," he said as he projected a few images that were taken from the morning fight. Sailor Moon's image was displayed in front of both men and the Prince's eyes lit up at the sight of her. He studied her features closely from her cerulean eyes to her long flowing blonde hair to her overall demeanor. He absentmindedly touched her projection and brought his hand to his lips.

"You've finally shown yourself Serenity... " he whispered as he continued to take her in. After a few moments, he tore his gaze away from her and his icy stare fell on Rubeus. "Does she know who she is and where is she now?"

"I don't believe she has revealed herself as the Princess yet. None of the Senshi were protecting her like they would the Princess. Even that annoying Tuxedo Mask was protective but not overly protective," he said recalling the fight and their pathetic reunion.

Diamond nodded as he heard that Tuxedo Mask was present. "So it appears that her fateful Prince has been reincarnated along with her. We'll have to make sure that we dispose of him rather quickly. He was always a problem back in the Silver Millennium. We can't have any issues this time around. We need the Silver Crystal and the Princess. We have to prevent, at all costs, Crystal Tokyo from being created…" His thoughts trailed off as he absentmindedly stroked the stem of his wine glass, that he had picked up again, thinking about claiming Serenity for himself.

Rubeus watched his Prince and recognized that he was fantasizing about Serenity once more. In their previous lives, his obsession with the Princess had been a complete disaster. It had led to them losing the rebel cause and being exiled to Nemesis, all because he spent too much energy and time trying to capture the Princess rather than the Crystal. He hoped that this time her abduction would be much easier as she was unaware of her heritage. The odds were definitely in their favour as no one suspected her.

Rubeus turned his attention back to Diamond, and watched him sip his wine slowly as he continued to watch the projection of Sailor Moon.

"My prince… I will leave you to your thoughts," he said bowing politely and then straightening his back. "However... I do have one last update. I've been able to place pieces of the Black Crystal at 2 crystal points and we will continue to erect them. It seems that we are well on our way to creating an ideal environment for the Black Crystal to thrive and to take over this city. I'll also continue to gather energy and unleash drones to protect the crystal points," he said flatly knowing fully well that Diamond was not interested in this part of the plan.

"Thank you Rubeus, it seems that you've had a productive morning," Diamond acknowledged and then shifted the conversation back to his desired topic. "One last question before you excuse yourself. Were you able to place a fragment of the Black Crystal on her? Are we now able to track her every move and project what we want?" he asked encouragingly.

"Yes," he said simply and then continued. "I have to admit... I might need to tend to my broken ribs… she can pack quite the kick but it's done," he finished as he recalled wrapping his arms around her to secure the small fragment in her hair. He manifested another projection beside her already moving image which provided them with an aerial map of the Juuban district. A small dot was moving. "That Diamond is your prize. Have fun tracking her," he said with another bow and left the ballroom. He saw the look in Diamonds eyes and didn't want to stay any longer to witness the obsession manifest itself.

Diamond sat up excitedly in his throne and watched as the dot came to a stop. Once he knew where she lived, it would be easy to spy on his Princess and determine how best to capture her. They needed the Silver Crystal in order to make their plan work, but he needed his Queen by his side for his happiness. "I need to see you today my sweet…" he said longingly as he took a long sip of his wine and sat back watching the blinking dot and her image plastered next to it.

* * *

Usagi had made her way back to her apartment after having an emergency meeting with the Senshi and opted to skip her classes for the rest of the day. As she walked back to her place, she thought about the meeting and how Rei had not attended due to an emergency at the Temple. She hoped that everything was OK and that nothing horrible happened to her grandfather. Quickly she took out her phone and sent a quick text message.

Before she knew it, she was stepping over the threshold of her apartment and locking the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she sighed. She was absolutely exhausted from the battle and from lack of sleep. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed but she knew that her mind would be plagued with a lifetime she didn't understand. Plus, her legs were on fire from her nasty fall that morning. She threw her bag down next to her door and inspected her battered legs. "Ugh…" she sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to wear pants for a couple of days… Stupid Black Moon people or whoever they are," she said walking to her washroom and taking her medical kit out.

Looking through it, her mind wandered to the words Rubeus had spoken, and how he implied that he _knew_ who she was. He had looked at her as though she was a piece of meat and she was completely unsettled by it. As a result, she tried to brush off the mounting dread that was building in the pit of her stomach. 'It's all in your head Usagi…' she mentally coaxed herself. 'He was just being creepy because that's his job. He doesn't know you and he's not after you specifically. He's after the Princess. That's not you... ' she continued but she knew better. Could he be referring to her? Even though she tried to convince herself that he wasn't referring to her, she couldn't help it and it frustrated her. Actually, truth was she was completely freaked out and she couldn't help but feel she was in some sort of danger over his uttered threats. All of a sudden her apartment didn't seem so safe anymore, and she wished she wouldn't have told her friends she didn't need their help.

After the the Senshi meeting, her friends had insisted they accompany her home; Rei had even texted them to advise them they should... but she told them she was fine. Yes, she was under shock that Tuxedo Mask was still alive but she was more worried that this new evil wanted to speak with her only. Typically, this would not have perturbed her but today it did. Rubeus seemed different than their other enemies and she couldn't place why. At that thought, something inside her told her that she should be worried and she had a heart sinking feeling.

"Ugh…" she exhaled. "Stupid _creepy_ evil trash," she said out loud throwing the medical kit into the sink and putting a hand through her hair. "You just need to calm down…" she told herself as she tried to take meaningful breaths. "Nothing is going to happen, no one is after you. No one is going to break into your apartment. It's all in your head Usagi… It's always all in your head," she repeated to herself. "You just need to relax and forget about everything for a few minutes."

At those words, she surveyed her bathtub and decided that a nice warm, relaxing bath, was exactly what the doctor ordered. She turned on the faucets and let the tub fill itself while she sprinkled some bubble bath. She slowly peeled off her clothes and placed her hair into a clip. When the water level had risen enough she stepped in lowering herself. As her body was immersed, she let out a satisfied moan as her muscles began to relax. "This is exactly what I needed…" and closed her eyes. She played with the little bubbles around her, letting the warm water envelop her and turned her brain off. Within minutes she had dozed off into what appeared to be a peaceful sleep.

* * *

" _No you don't understand Sere the rebels are getting closer. You need to be careful."_

 _Serenity looked up at her beloved Endymion and placed a hand on his chest. "I know they are getting closer but the Moon Palace is completely protected. They shouldn't be able to get through the enchantments. You worry for nought my Prince."_

 _He lifted her chin, "I don't want you to be in harm's way. They've made it clear they want to destroy the Moon Kingdom and all that rule within. They want the Silver Crystal which both you and your mother protect. That means you're in direct danger."_

" _I know but I have the Senshi protecting me, the royal guards and the palace is impenetrable."_

" _Nothing is impenetrable when you're dealing with this type of rebellion," he said meekly. "I just want you to be on your guard. You're so trusting of everyone around you and I can't bare the thought of something happening to you while I'm away. Please at least promise me you'll let one guard or senshi accompany you for the next couple of days." He lowered his voice and rested his forehead on hers, "I have a horrible feeling and I can't lose you."_

 _She placed a small kiss on his lips. "I'll be fine please don't worry yourself into a frenzy. I honestly will be…"_

The dream faded into the background for a few minutes and reappeared in a different scene.

" _You really should pay closer attention to your sleeping quarters dearest Princess," came a cool voice from behind Serenity. She whirled around and was met with a red haired man, Rubeus, who was glaring at her. "You'd think," he continued. "That it would be difficult to break into the Moon Princess' bedroom," he said pushing her to her bed and forcing her to sit down._

 _Fear was coursing through her body at the sight of the unknown man hovering over her small frame but she tried to push it down. Letting him know that she was scared would only worsen the situation. "What do you want?" she said in an even tone as she looked up at her assailant._

 _He traced a line across her collarbone. "It's not what I want," he smirked. "It's what he wants," he whispered in her ear and turned his gaze to another man who was walking towards them with a determined look. She couldn't make out his features except for the coolness emanating from his eyes as Rubeus made sure to keep her in place._

* * *

Usagi woke up startled splashing water onto the floor as the lingering look plagued her mind. "Oh my god…" she said out loud as she tried to calm down her racing heart. She swore that she could still feel the cold stare piercing through her and she was suddenly hyper aware that she was naked in her bath. She stepped out quickly trying to regain her composure and wrapped a towel around herself. While she knew she was alone, the dream left her unsettled and she wondered what would have happened if she didn't wake up. A chill ran down her spine as she recalled the eyes of the second man boring into her. There was so much hunger and longing behind them. She had _felt_ the fear the Princess had towards the two men who were circling her. Even though the fear was intense, she had shown none of it as they approached her. She wondered if she had been in the very same situation if she would have reacted in the same manner.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and noted that she was quite pale, paler than usual. "What is happening?" she said softly as she placed a strand of hair behind her ear. As she moved her hair she noticed that it was several shades blonder than usual, it was almost silver, "What the hell?" she said panic rising in her chest as she brushed her hand across the mirror in front of her to remove the lingering steam. She suddenly noticed a crescent moon on her forehead and she grabbed her forehead, "Oh my god… what's happening?" she screamed as she saw her altered appearance. She touched her face in order to make sure that it was really her staring back and the reflection did the same. "oh my god… oh my god…?" She took the clip out of her hair and her long locks fell onto her shoulders. She grabbed strands of hair and examined their altered colour, as her breathing increased. "Ok you're clearly still asleep… clearly still asleep," she repeated and closed her eyes willing herself to wake up because there was no way any of this was happening.

"Oh I can assure you that you look exactly the way you're supposed to look. I made sure of that."

At the sound of the voice, she froze in place as she grabbed her towel tighter around her, using it as a shield to protect her from the intruder. Maybe she was still dreaming right? Then if she was, why did everything feel so real. She took a shaky breath unable to believe there was a man in her washroom and her eyes flew open. She looked through the mirror and saw a man with white hair standing behind her, arms folded, looking her up and down. She let out a petrified scream at the sight of him and tried to leave the bathroom but he grabbed her shoulders.

"Oh no my dear, you're staying right where you are," and blocked the exit to the bathroom.

"Please let me go," she said as tears filled her eyes. She had seen enough movies to know that this would not end well. She backed towards the bathtub trying to avoid his imposing stance but every step backwards he took two towards her. She studied his expression as he approached her. His amethyst eyes continued to travel her body as he now stood close enough that she felt his breath on her neck, she turned her head away from him and he placed a hand on her chin, lifting her gaze to him.

"It's such a shame you don't remember," he whispered. "but I just had to see you for myself… to make sure you had returned. Even though you don't remember it'll only make it easier for when we captu…" His words were caught off as there was a strong knock on her front door. Immediately, she let out a plea for help along with screams which were quickly muffled by his rough hand being placed over her lips. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and slowly addressed the knock, "It seems that now is not our time…" he said moving a strand from the side of her face and placed a kiss on her forehead. He released the illusion of her silver hair and let the crescent moon fade from her forehead. There was no need to alert others to her real identity, he just needed her to be on edge.

She choked back the tears as she listened to him and he kissed her forehead. Her skin was crawling at every touch that he lay on her. Refusing to believe that she would be taken advantage of in this way, she fought him trying to knock him off balance by kicking and hitting him, yet his grip on her shoulder only tightened.

After a few moments of struggle, she finally felt his finger slip closer to her mouth and she bit down as hard as she could, drawing blood. He let out a painful scream and relaxed his grip ever so slightly giving her an advantage to pry herself away from him. She turned around and pushed him as hard as she could forcing him to lose his balance, tripping over the edge of the tub splashing into the water. She turned around and ran for the door but was intercepted by a ball of white energy hitting her legs, forcing them to give out. The force pushed her forward violently, giving her no opportunity to intercept her fall. Her head hit the side of the sink, with a resounding crack, making her fall limply to the floor as her eyes rolled back into her head and blood slowly started to spread amongst the water on the floor.

"Rest assured, I won't leave your dreams and I will continue to haunt you until I return my sweet," he breathed into her ear.

* * *

Mamoru was casually walking away from his apartment from what he thought had been a successful meeting with Rei and Kunzite. They had spent the past hour discussing his theories about Usagi, the latest developments from the battle and sharing all of their mutual information. Rei had been forthcoming about who she was, the Senshi and their theories on who they thought was the Princess. Rei had admitted that she felt an unnatural aura from Usagi that was different than the other Senshi but she wasn't sure if it was because she was a guardian of the Moon or because she was the Princess. The great fires had never been able to give her the appropriate information to allow her to see deeper into Usagi's past. It relieved him that Rei entertained his ideas / had the same theories as him. Rei had agreed that based on all the information that was provided that it seemed more and more likely that Usagi was potentially the Moon all agreed that Usagi needed to be kept safe until they found out who the Moon Princess was (even if it wasn't her). The Black Moon clearly had a vested interest in her and they couldn't allow their leader to fall into their grasps.

In speaking with Kunzite and Rei, Mamoru attempted to convince the two he had a horrible feeling about Usagi's safety. Something was pulling deep within him, letting him know that imminent danger was around the corner. At first Rei had been skeptical about Mamoru's feeling of dread but when he explained that he was the Prince and that he had feelings towards Usagi, it seemed to give him the credit necessary to make Rei believe him. As Mamoru was embarrassed at his admission, to having feelings for the bubbly blonde, Rei decided not to push the topic too far. She could tell that Mamoru was uncomfortable discussing the extent of his feelings and took his word at face value rather than request the exact type of "feelings" he had for Usagi.

As he walked, he couldn't get Rei's slight smirk and knowing look, when he finally admitted to liking Usagi. It seemed like the whole world had known but him. He wondered if Usagi had any idea or whether she was as oblivious as he was. When Rei had willingly given him Usagi's address, phone number, all means of contact information, he realized that Usagi most likely had no idea either. Sighing, he wondered whether she would be able to forgive him for everything he had done to her.

Hanging his head in shame, at the words he had spoken to her, he finally stood in front of her apartment building. The feeling of dread that had been growing in the pit of his stomach continued to intensify as he looked up at the high rise building. He chalked it up to nerves but couldn't help but think something was amiss. His heart was racing, and his adrenaline was intensifying by the minute, as if preparing for a fight. True, she probably would throw something at him but something felt very off, as if she was in danger.

He hurried into the building, and tried to push the mounting anxiety down. Instead, he contemplated what he would tell her when he was finally face to face with her. It seemed like, "Hey can you let me in, I need to tell you I'm Tuxedo Mask," might scare her off or make her burst out laughing. It did sound ridiculous. He hoped by the time he got off the elevator he would have some idea what to tell her. Instead, as the elevator doors opened, he realized he had nothing but a case of cold sweats and shaky nerves.

Forcing himself to get off the elevator he checked the door numbers and finally came to a halt in front of her door. Before he could coach himself about what he would tell her, he knocked. He just needed to get this over and done with, and delaying the process by standing at her door would accomplish nothing. The minute he knocked, he heard her terrified screams and her cries for help. His mind went blank as his heart sank. "USAGI?" he screamed through the door and was only met with further screams of pure terror. A blind rage overtook him as her screams penetrated his very being. He tested the door handle but it was locked. Infuriated that whoever was attacking her had locked the door, he kicked the lock in.

Stumbling into the apartment her screams came to a sudden halt. The silence was almost as deafening as the screams, "USAGI!" he shouted into the empty apartment. No response. His heart started to race as he saw light and water pooling from under the bathroom door.

Running towards the door he said her name again and pushed the door open meeting resistance. The door would only open three quarters of the way. "Usagi," he repeated as he pushed his way through the door and was met with Diamond. "YOU," he hissed as he started to recognize the man before him, bending over his fallen odango. This was the man who had attacked his beloved and now he was doing the same to Usagi. He tore his gaze away from him momentarily and quickly examined Usagi. He noted there was blood mixed in the water and that she was unconscious lying on her stomach barely covered by the towel around her. Rage flashed across his eyes as his stare bore down on Diamond. "What did you do to her?" he seethed and started to raise his voice. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" he repeated aggressively as he approached him.

Never had he felt so enraged in his life. To think that this monster had broken into Usagi's apartment and done god knows what to her, made his blood boil. Before he could stop himself, he realized that in his rage he inadvertently transformed into his alter ego, Endymion. His royal blue and red cape fell to his side, and his protective armor was strategically placed on his body. Using the moment of rage to his advantage, he drew his sword and stepped towards Diamond.

Diamond straightened himself out. "Hello Endymion," he said calmly ignoring the question. "It appears that we continue to meet in this manner," he smiled. "As for your dearest Usagi, you say, a gentleman never kisses and tells," he antagonized knowing fully well that the Prince's temper would flare.

Mamoru tried to lunge at him but Diamond was quicker. "Ah ah ah," he said waving his finger at him. "Do not provoke me. I have far greater power than you and personally I'm not ready to fight you. Give my regards to my sweet," he said looking ardently at Usagi and then looked at Mamoru directly. "Just remember… I always start what I finish," he said icily as he started to fade and continued to threaten, "And you may have her for now but I will claim her as my own," he said as he completely disappeared.

Mamoru stared in disbelief for a few moments truly mulling over what his threat meant. Having seen Diamond hunched over Usagi, touching her, he knew that Usagi _was_ his Princess. Diamond only had an obsession for Serenity and now Usagi, which meant they must be the same person. Only a few questions remained though: why could no one remember? Why couldn't HE remember? Why couldn't SHE remember? What if they were wrong and she was only being misconstrued as the Princess but she truly wasn't? Was he putting her in danger? He let his sword drop beside him and fell to his knees to inspect Usagi. He noted that she had a gash on the side of her head. It was still bleeding profusely and he scrambled to find a towel to apply pressure and stop the hemorrhaging. Gently he turned her over, careful not to disrupt the towel around her small frame. Looking down at her, he realized how fragile and helpless she looked as he cradled her cold body in his arms.

Panic was starting to seep through him as she lay limply on his lap, her features paler than usual. He couldn't help but check for a pulse and was relieved when he was met with a faint beat. He rubbed her arm trying to give her some heat as he applied pressure to her wound with his other.

"I'm so sorry I left you alone after the fight," he whispered as he rocked her. "I should have never left you…" he pressed on. "I had a bad feeling, and I should have acted on it…" he continued. "I'm so sorry…" He hoped that his words would get through to her and wake her up but she didn't stir. A lump was growing in his throat as the dread started to consume him the longer she stayed unconscious. He slowly got up cradling her body against his chest as he realized that they couldn't stay soaking wet on the bathroom floor. Her skin was frigid. If he could only get her to warm up and call for help maybe she would be able to wake up.

Stepping out into the hallway next to the living room, he surveyed the layout of the apartment and saw movement coming from the balcony door. He straightened his stance to fight but soon sighed in relief when he noticed that it was just Usagi's cat, Luna. His abatement was however short lived when the feline narrowed her eyes at him and made a war path towards his face.

"Wait Luna," he screamed as the cat jumped at his face. Unable to defend himself with Usagi in his arms the cat successfully scratched his cheek. He gently placed Usagi on the couch and tried to prevent the cat from getting more nails into him by grabbing a cushion. "Kitty calm down… I'm not trying to hurt her," he pleaded with the enraged feline, who he swore was bearing human like features with the glares she was giving him. "She's hurt… I'm just trying to help," he yelped as the cat managed to scratch his neck and colourful words escaped his mouth. Luna showed no signs of letting up and continued her attack on his fallen body.

"LUNA!" came a fiery voice from the entrance. "Leave him alone, do you not realise you're attacking Mamoru?" While, he looked different dressed up in his Prince attire, she still knew that it was him. There was only one person that had messy Ebony hair and dark blue eyes, that could bore a hole into you. That and she knew that he had been on his way to make things right with Usagi, or so she hoped. In looking at the scene before her, she started to doubt his intentions but said nothing as she listened to Luna.

"I don't care if it's Mamoru Rei," the cat hissed sitting on his chest. "He's assaulted Usagi!"

"Oh dear gods… it talks," came Mamoru's disbelieving voice from under the cat.

"Watch your tongue young man. I might be a cat but I can definitely inflict a lot of damage," she said showing all of her claws at him.

Rei walked over to survey the scene more closely and grabbed Luna off of Mamoru. She noted that his cheek was scratched along with his neck and arms. She couldn't help but crack a smile at the cat's attempts to dispose of Mamoru. She looked down at the cat, "Now I'm sure that Mamoru didn't attack Usagi Luna," she said looking from him and finally casting her gaze onto Usagi's still form on the couch. Her heart sank when she noticed how pale she looked along with the blood that was noticeable on the side of her head. She focused her gaze back onto Mamoru for further clarification as to what happened. "Mamoru…" she said starting to doubt his intentions.

"Are you honestly doubting me when we had a conversation not even 30 minutes ago about how I feel about her?" he asked incredulously as he sat up. "For everyone's information," he said aggravated. "I'm highly insulted that you think I'd take advantage of anyone, especially Usagi, in such a brutal way. What kind of person do you think I am?" he spat at them.

Rei took a step back at his tone and realized that she should have thought before speaking. He was right. Only a little while ago he was professing his love for her best friend and telling them everything he felt towards her. He had advocated quite intensely that his feelings for Usagi were deep rooted. To find him being attacked by Luna and having Usagi half naked on a couch was not what she was expecting. "I'm sorry Mamoru… It's just you have to admit that this looks bad."

"If anyone would have given me a chance to explain myself, talking cat included, I could have told you that I actually saved her from the real perpetrator. I broke down that door," he said pointing at it, "when I heard her screams and tried to get to her as fast as I could. I would never hurt her," he explained heatedly.

Rei nodded in agreement in order to get him to calm down. "Mamoru, I believe you. I'm sorry for having doubted you. I know you wouldn't hurt her like this but what happened?" she asked as she placed Luna down on the coffee table and walked over to Usagi's small frame. She placed a hand on her forehead and felt how cold her friend was along with the lingering fear that was still washing over her. Rei took in a sharp breath as she closed her eyes in order to understand what happened and felt the evil spirits that still lingered on Usagi's body. Focusing on the negative energy she was startled out of her slight trance when icy eyes flashed across her vision and she muttered, "Diamond…"

"You know him too?" Mamoru asked having moved to kneel beside Rei.

Rei shook her head and slowly opened her eyes. "I.." she hesitated. "I'm not sure if I do but whoever this Diamond is... he's pure evil," she said softly as she looked down at Usagi. She had no clue what he had done to Usagi and she feared, that he took advantage of her in the worse way possible. Turning her head towards Mamoru, she noticed the worry in his eyes as he looked down at their fallen friend. She patted him on his arm reassuringly, "I'm sure she'll be fine. She has a way of bouncing back from everything," she said with a slight smile. "We just need to get her dressed and warmed up… I'm sure she'll wake up soon," she said softly.

Mamoru nodded as he kept his gaze on Usagi. He didn't know how to help her. Part of him knew that it was none of his business and that he should let her friends take care of her. Especially that he already had Luna's burning gaze upon him. He shifted uncomfortably under her constant stare and decided that this was perhaps not the best time for him to be here. He stood up from kneeling beside Usagi and placed a loving hand on her head. Turning towards Rei he spoke softly, "I know I shouldn't be here so I'll leave but promise me you'll let me know when she wakes up."

Before Rei could respond Luna interjected. "Very well. You've done quite enough for today," she stated firmly. While Rei would be quick to trust him, Luna had other ideas in mind. She wasn't certain that he was as innocent as he proclaimed in this situation, and until she heard it directly from Usagi's mouth that he did nothing to harm her, she would doubt him. She had never trusted him or appreciated the way he treated her. The fact that he was now showing a caring side towards Usagi unsettled Luna. It made her trust him even less and it was only compounded by the fact that he was also wearing what appeared to be a royal outfit. Only the Prince had worn such an outfit and it worried her that Mamoru was standing before them with it on. The sooner he would be out of Usagi's apartment, the better it would be for Luna, as she would be able to discuss the situation with Rei.

"Don't you dare listen to Luna, Mamoru. You have every right to be here. Let me just get Usagi to her room and out of this soaking towel and then we can chat about what happened ok?" she said looking up at him. He nodded in agreement and shifted uncomfortably at the relentless stares from Luna.

Rei turned her attention to Luna and requested that she fetch the disguise pen. It would be the only way to get Usagi into dry clothes and protect her privacy. Luna, against her better judgement, followed Rei's instructions and went to get the pen. When she returned she commanded that Mamoru shield his eyes as they forced Usagi to transform into warm pink flannel pajamas. Once she was fully clothed, Rei requested that Mamoru bring Usagi to her bedroom until she woke up. Mamoru abided by their wishes and brought her to her bedroom. He placed her gently under her covers and watched as she shifted slightly. 'Please be ok…' he thought to himself as he watched her for a few more seconds. Never had he been so concerned for someone before. This was the first time that he had seen her this vulnerable and hurt. Even in previous battles (with the exception of the final battle with Beryl) she had never stayed unconscious for this long.

The very fact that Diamond had attacked her in the privacy of her own apartment sent chills down his spine. What worried him more was the thought of what could have happened if he didn't arrive, when he did.

"If he lay one finger on you Usako, I swear to the gods that I will rip him apart," he muttered as he placed a small kiss on top of her head, and took one last look at her before leaving to join Rei and Luna in the living room.

* * *

" _My dearest Serenity," he whispered into her ear as he cupped her face. She tried to struggle against him as he forced her to look at him. Tears fell down her cheeks as she fell bewitched to his powers. A third red eye was open across his forehead and captured her gaze making her unable to move or speak. She could only stare back at him as the tears continued. She had tried to be strong and defiant when he walked up to her but she couldn't hold her ground. He had powers that she didn't anticipate and he used them effectively to disarm her. She was at his mercy._

 _He ran his thumb across her cheek in order to dry the tears. "Please don't cry, we're going to be very happy together. You'll see that you won't mind," he said softly as he leaned in and captured her mouth. She could feel his tongue exploring her mouth as she held back her sobs. She wanted to move away from him but she couldn't. Instead she was a bystander from within her body as he did what he pleased. She felt him push her down onto her bed as he straddled her and deepened the kiss against her will. Tears continued to flow furiously as he continued his attack and she lay still, unable to move a muscle, praying that Endymion would find her in time._

* * *

Usagi woke up, gasping for air as she tried to fight away the feeling of having that man attacking her in her dream. As she sat up in her bed, she realized that she had a splitting headache. She placed a hand to the side of her head and felt the raw gash. At it's touch she remembered the real life encounter that she had in her bathroom and choked back tears, as she replayed the scene. All she remembered was that someone was knocking on her door as she tried to get away and then everything went black. 'How did I get back into my bed?' she questioned herself and 'How did I get dressed?' she asked as worry flowed through her veins.

She carefully swung her feet to the ground, and stepped out of her bed. She needed answers and she could hear people talking in her living room. Taking a few steps, she realized that she was quite dizzy and grabbed onto the wall. 'I must have hit my head harder than I thought,' she mused as she let the world readjust and made her way to her door. She opened it carefully, and unsteadily walked towards her living room.

Two steps into the living room, she noticed that Rei and Luna were present with… Mamoru, of all people. What made no sense was that all three of them we're having an in-depth conversation and Mamoru was dressed out of character. He was dressed like the Prince from her dreams. Was she hallucinating? At the thought, her head throbbed and she tried to breathe in deeply to counteract the pain. Refocusing she honestly wondered why Mamoru was here? Why did he always have to show up when she least wanted him to? Why did he look so good in that outfit? Why did she feel so much relief that he was here? Confused, she approached the trio and glared at Mamoru, ignoring his clothes, thinking that it was all an illusion anyway.

"Why are you here Endymion?" she asked coldly, not realizing the name slip, as she placed her hands on her hips, and the splitting headache continued at his sight. She needed to have a private conversation with Luna and Rei, and she needed him to leave... even though all she wanted to do was run into his arms and seek comfort. 'What is wrong with me?' she asked herself as she once again placed her hand to the side of her head, as she struggled to stay upright.

The three of them turned to her at the mention of Endymion and stared at her incredulously. The shock was evident on their faces, and she wondered what had gotten into them. "What?" she asked defensively. "Am I not allowed to ask why he's here? Last time I checked, this is my apartment and I have a right to know why he's here. So why are you Endymion?" she pushed further, her headache intensifying as she felt the world shift under her feet. She staggered forward, suddenly very aware that her limbs felt heavier than usual, and she tried to grab the edge of the couch. "It's all happening again Endymion..." she mumbled softly as she locked worried eyes with Mamoru losing consciousness and tumbled to the floor.


	7. Conflicted Thoughts

**Author's note:**

 **First of all, thank you all so much for the love you've been showing towards this story. I truly appreciate it and LOVE the reviews you guys have been posting. I know there have been some issues with the formatting and I swear I will fix these. It's the first time that I'm writing a fanfic and it's proving more difficult that I anticipated. That being said, I do love it and I'm happy that you all do too!**

 **Second, I apologise for the delay in posting this chapter. I wasn't happy with several of the drafts and rewrote it a bunch of times. It's now been divided into two chapters because it was well over 22 pages. So good news - you guys get two chapters but bad news is the next one won't come out until Nov 16th.**

 **Thank you all again for everything and I hope that you enjoy the next two chapters!**

* * *

A few minutes before Usagi entered the living room…

"I wonder whether someone is trying to block my memories," Mamoru stated honestly as he explained his fears.

"I can remember most of my past but I can't seem to figure out who the Princess is. All I know is that she has light hair and eyes…but I couldn't tell you, what colour they are exactly or what she looks like. Every time I dream about her or remember something, it's like my memory jumps and I can't seem to focus on what I'm seeing," he said shrugging.

"It's the most bizarre thing," he continued, finally deciding to share what bothered him the most.

"It physically pains me to think of her. I get a splitting headache whenever I try to picture her… it's like she's at the end of my finger tips and then she slips through," he said absently putting a hand through his hair. Just talking about _her_ he was starting to get a headache. He sighed as he shut his eyes and leaned back his head.

He felt Rei pat his arm. "I'm sure everything will come to light Mamoru," she stated reassuringly and then turned her attention to Luna, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Before Luna could answer Usagi stumbled into the room looking physically drained. She walked up to the the trio and glared at Mamoru.

" _Why are you here Endymion?"_

Mamoru's heart skipped several beats as the words left her lips and embedded themselves into his mind forcing his headache to increase. He couldn't help but massage his temples as he tried to will the pain away to focus on Usagi. She had asked him a question and he wanted to answer but he couldn't find the words. All he could do was watch in shock as he tried to process that she _finally_ called him Endymion.

He knew he was right. The fact that she was standing there using _Endymion's_ name, which she didn't even seem to realize, was truly all the proof he needed. He glanced over at Luna with an all knowing smirk daring her not to believe him now. The cat simply avoided his gaze and continued to watch her charge.

Satisfied, Mamoru returned his eyes to Usagi. Immediately, alarm passed through him as he noticed that she was pale, _too pale_ , he thought to himself.

" _What?"_ she asked defensively. " _Am I not allowed to ask why he's here? Last time I checked, this is my apartment and I have a right to know why he's here. So why are you Endymion?"_

He continued to watch her carefully assessing the situation. Something was wrong. It was one thing for her to be questioning him but for her to be repeatedly saying Endymion - it worried him.

If she was experiencing the same degree of headaches as him, he could only imagine what repercussions her unconscious actions would have on her. Before he could contemplate his thoughts any further she staggered forward.

" _It's all happening again Endymion..."_ she mumbled softly as she locked worried eyes with him and fell towards the ground. The minute her body hit the ground; Mamoru's mind went blank.

* * *

 _Endymion walked through his private gardens in search of his most prized possession. He knew she had to be here somewhere, and his suspicions were proven correct as he turned into the rose gardens. Rows, upon rows of brightly coloured roses littered his path to her. She stood at its end slightly bent over as she breathed in their fragrant smell._

 _Smiling to himself, he simply watched her, unnoticed. Her lovely white gown clung gently to her curves as her silver hair blew in the wind. He was completely mesmerized by her beauty and he questioned how he landed himself with such an ethereal creature? To him, she was everything and every time he saw her, his breath was taken away. There was no doubt in his mind that he was the luckiest man in the galaxy._

 _Slowly, he started to walk towards her and made sure not to announce his arrival. He wanted to surprise her and see her cheeks flush at his presence. Once behind her, he carefully wrapped his arms around her small frame and pressed her back against his chest._

" _Sneaking around in the Prince's private gardens?" he whispered into her ear._

 _Under normal circumstances Serenity would have been startled by someone sneaking up on her but she had sensed Endymion's energy the minute he turned the corner and had indulged his slow entrance._

 _She smiled to herself and placed her hands over his, as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "Only for you my Prince," she purred and turned around gently placing her small hands behind his neck. "I've missed you Endymion…" she said leaning into him._

 _Endymion put a hand through her silver hair and cupped her face. "Believe me Sere… not as much as I have," he whispered back as he lowered his lips to hers, and wrapped his arms around her again. They spent several moments reconnecting and reluctantly broke their passionate embrace. He leaned his forehead against hers and breathed heavily._

" _I need to know," he started tentatively and took a small step back to look at her. "How have you been feeling?"_

 _For weeks, the Princess had been experiencing debilitating headaches since her last encounter with Diamond. The Lunar healers had examined her thoroughly but they determined there was no foul play. No one could explain what was happening to her. At the question, he felt her shift away and he reluctantly gave her some room without breaking contact._

" _I'm fine Endymion," she insisted avoiding eye contact. "They're just headaches…"_

" _Sere…" Endymion started cautiously. "We both know it's something bigger than that…"_

 _Serenity removed Endymion's arms from around her and took a few steps away from him, crossing her arms to hold herself. Truth was, she was worried about the headaches and the fainting spells that she had been experiencing. They had all started after one of her encounters with Diamond and she was convinced that he cursed her._

 _She didn't have the heart to tell Endymion that her headaches were only present around him. He was the trigger and as she stood there looking away from him she could feel the headache mounting. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as she felt two hands on her shoulders._

" _Talk to me Serenity…" he whispered into her ear._

 _She shook her head, not because she didn't want to speak with him, but due to the mounting pain._

" _Endymion I can't," she said softly. "Please don't worry," she said taking another step back trying to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around her beloved and enjoy his presence but he was hurting her._

" _I need to leave my love," she strained as the pain traveled through her body and breathing became difficult._

" _No, Sere," he said rather harshly taking her hand in his and spinning her around. He saw the worry in her eyes and the tears that were pooling. What was wrong with her? What was happening to her? In the past couple of weeks she had been withdrawn and their encounters had either been too brief or she collapsed. He needed to know what was happening to his Princess._

" _Just tell me how I can help," he begged her._

 _Serenity shook her head and put a hand to her temple. The pain was excruciating and she felt the effects of the blinding headache take over. All she could do was try to control her breathing but it was too late. He had been too close - she had been too reckless._

 _Small black dots played across her vision and her eyes began to open and close slowly. Endymion quickly grabbed her as she swayed back and forth._

" _It's happening again Endymion..." she whispered as she lost consciousness._

* * *

"Sere… no wait… Usagi!" Mamoru muttered in confusion from the couch as he came out of his stupor. He blinked rapidly as he realized that he hadn't even moved yet from the couch and no one else had either.

'What the hell just happened?' he asked himself as he stared between Luna and Rei who were just moving out of their seats to rush to Usagi. He passed a hand through his hair nervously and realized that he was sweating.

Never had he experienced anything like it. Seeing Usagi faint prompted his subconscious to conjure a glimpse into his past. Was it a memory or simply vision? In the end, it didn't matter. He saw what he saw and it bothered him. Usagi was exhibiting the same type of symptoms that the Princess had. Pushing his thoughts aside, he got up and walked towards her. He knew he had to stop debating the past and focus on the very unconscious Usagi that lay sprawled out on the floor. Luna and Rei were already by her side trying to wake her up.

As he approached them he looked down at his fallen Odango, noting that she was still extremely pale with flushed red cheeks. Her breathing was also shallow which worried him. What's worse… Watching Rei tend to her bothered him more. Wasn't she _his_ responsibility he thought possessively. Wasn't _he_ supposed to be cradling her head and soothing her? Aggravated that he was a bystander he knelt down, compelling his suit and armor to disappear to allow for more movement.

"Rei… let me," he asked softly for permission to take care of the fallen blonde. Normally, he would have been more aggressive in his request but he knew he had no authority to do so. Rei was after all her best friend and he was… just the baka.

Mamoru watched Rei reluctantly oblige and shift away from Usagi to let him examine her. He moved closer to her and gently propped her up against his chest immediately feeling an electric charge in their touch. He tried to ignore the unnatural pull but instead felt her breathing hitch as she let out a whimper.

'What's happening Usagi?' he thought to himself as he watched her eyelids twitch. Was she feeling the electric charge between the two of them? Was she experiencing flashbacks like him? Was she being plagued in the same manner as he was every time he closed his eyes? He had so many questions and so little answers. All he knew was that once she woke up they would need to have a very serious conversation.

Rei looked over to Mamoru as he held onto Usagi tightly. She could see how much he cared for her and in how much pain he was in seeing her fallen body. It was the first time that she was understanding the depth of his feelings. She inched closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder hoping to show him support.

He looked up at her, acknowledging her presence but nothing more. His sole focus appeared to be on Usagi and she understood him. If he truly believed she was his Princess she fully expected him to be reacting in this manner.

"She's going to be ok," she said softly trying to reassure him. He simply nodded and returned his watchful eyes back onto Usagi.

Rei's eyes fell on Luna instead. "Luna please call Ami," she asked softly. It worried her that Usagi had fainted so closely to a head injury. She needed medical attention and they should have alerted Ami long ago. She also needed Ami to scan Usagi to determine whether her energy levels were changing. Not only had Mamoru indicated that Usagi might very well be the Princess but the fact that Usagi was speaking so openly about Endymion worried Rei. How long had Usagi been dreaming about the Prince or the Princess? How long had she been keeping all of this a secret?

Her best friend was being haunted by a past she didn't even remember and it broke her heart. If she was the Princess, why couldn't they break the block on her memories? Or on all their memories? Why couldn't Mamoru remember who she was either? So many questions were running through her mind. The only thing that she could conclude - was something was amiss.

Usagi was never the same after the final battle with Beryl and she never fully recovered. Rei had always felt the shift in energies but never thought about the implications behind the changes. Maybe something during the fight had happened and that's why both her and Mamoru were having difficulties with their memories. She wouldn't put it past Beryl to do something before she died. She was a ruthless being after all and this was something she'd have to discuss with the Senshi team.

Luna finished calling Ami and the rest of the Senshi to advise them of the attack on Usagi. She now redirected her focus on everything that had occurred so far. All she kept repeating over and over again was that Mamoru was Tuxedo Mask and Prince Endymion. To say she was shocked was an understatement. Her and Artemis had never suspected Mamoru to play any vital role in Usagi or the Senshi's life. They just assumed that he was a boy that liked teasing Usagi. Never would she have thought that he had any feelings except for animosity towards Usagi or that he seemed to be under the impression that she was the Princess.

This was something she would have to discuss with Artemis, at length, as they had tested all the Senshi to see if they were Moon Royalty and none were. To have Usagi potentially be revealed as the Princess did not make logical sense, unless her disguise as Sailor Moon served to conceal and protect her.

There were so many implications with this news specifically that Mamoru had regained his memories about his former self but nothing specific enough to reveal the Princess. She scoffed that the boy was only running on a hunch that Usagi was his Princess. _Shouldn't he know?_ she thought to herself. _Why did he feel so strongly that he thought it was Usagi?_ This was definitely something she would need to probe further with the so called Prince.

Something was just not right. They had always been told that both the Prince and Princess would recall their memories together and their crystals would be revealed at the same time. This had simply not been the case and she wondered whether there had been foul play. It also led to greater questions, as to what really occurred two years ago when they defeated Beryl. Mamoru had just been explaining that he thought Sailor Moon had died that night, as an immense light engulfed her. He had assumed that it was Beryl who attacked her but now Luna wondered whether it was something else that might have protected her. There were so many questions and so little answers that it made her head spin. There was only one thing to do: she needed to talk to Artemis.

Jumping down from the couch she walked up to the three of them, "I'm going to find Artemis," she announced. "The rest of the Senshi will be here soon… please fill them in as you see fit," she noted.

She looked down at Usagi as a deep sadness filled her. Since she had returned she had been different and everything seemed to be compounded in Luna's mind as she lay still before her. "Please take care of her and let me know what happens when she wakes up," she said softly. Under normal circumstances she would have stayed but she needed to get to Artemis and research everything they now knew. Ami would be able to handle the situation when she arrived.

As Luna left Rei turned her attention back to Mamoru who was still silently watching over Usagi.

"Mamoru… she's going to be ok. She's probably just exhausted from the fight from this morning and the ordeal she just went through. I'm sure that it's nothing more," she tried to reassure the man before him. Anything to show him that the situation was not as dire as it seemed.

Mamoru nodded in agreement to placate her but given his recent flashback he knew something was not right. Actually the more he focused on Usagi's energy, the more he realized that something was off about her. He was actually surprised that Rei couldn't sense the negative energy seeping off of her. It was almost as though something was draining her energy which made his mind reel. He needed to stop whatever it was.

Having the luxury of remembering his previous life he knew he was able to heal the wounded and he wondered if he still could. 'Might as well try,' he thought to himself as he focused all of his energy to find why she was struggling to wake up. Closing his eyes he regulated his breathing and placed his hand gently over her chest. Within moments he felt a sharp pain tugging at the back of his head.

Focusing on the pain, he realized that it was not his own but Usagi's that was emanating throughout him. He gasped at the pounding sensation that continued to tug at the back of his head and opened his eyes. It felt like something was literally pulling at her. As a result, he gently pushed her head to the side and let his fingers roam through her hair and finally rested on the nape of her neck, searching for the exact spot that hurt on his own.

Within moments he found the culprit and pulled at what appeared to be a small shard of glass. As he examined and held onto it he could feel himself becoming more fatigued. The small fragment seemed to get a mind of it's own as it tried to embed itself in his fingers. Before he knew what was happening he felt his head droop as the glass like shard attacked him. In a panic he gasped at the sensation and threw the shard away from both himself and Rei.

Rei's jaw dropped as she saw him pull something from the back of Usagi's head and was even more shocked when she noticed that Mamoru paled upon contact. If she wouldn't have known better it appeared that he was about to collapse from contact. Within seconds she saw him throwing the offending fragment and it landed in the middle of the room writhing from the lack of it's host. Rei quickly got to her feet, grabbed a nearby empty glass and placed it over the angry fragment. "What is it?" she asked worriedly looking back at Mamoru.

Regaining his composure he shook his head. He wasn't sure what it was but he knew that it was definitely causing part of Usagi's ailment. "Whatever it is... it's evil," he said darkly refocusing his concerned stare on Usagi.

Rei looked at the fragment under the glass as it writhed due to its lack of host. "Ami will be able to give us more information once she gets here," she said looking at Mamoru. "I'm sure that she'll be able to explain a lot of things including what's happening with Usagi."

"I'm sure she'll have good insight," Mamoru insisted. "But the only reasonable explanation is IF Usagi is the Princess. In my chat with Diamond," he said through gritted teeth. "He made it clear that he was after Usagi, and if my memory serves me right he was only _ever_ after the Princess."

Pausing he looked down at Usagi as she shifted in his arms. "It has to be her," he said with conviction looking up at Rei. "Nothing else makes sense," he said shaking his head. "Why would they go through all of the trouble to target Usagi and place, whatever, that thing is in her hair?" he said pointing to the crystal shard.

Rei looked at it beneath the glass and didn't have the heart to tell Mamoru that Usagi was always targeted. She was the leader of the Senshi. It made sense for their enemies to go after her but she did recognize that this time was different. Something deeper was happening and she truly believed that if they could just speak to Usagi, she'd shed a lot of light on the situation.

"Mamoru," Rei started slowly. "I do believe your convictions that you believe Usagi is the Princess. It seems that everything points to that but you have to make sure you are ok with the fact that perhaps she isn't," she said cautiously. After all, Mamoru was putting so much fate into Usagi being his Princess that she feared what would happen if she wasn't. The ramifications on his psyche would be devastating. She wanted to plant the smallest seed of doubt just in case it needed to be there.

Mamoru shook his head and mumbled that he knew he was right. The headache alone was enough of an indication for him. He didn't care what anyone said because something deep within him told him he was right. If, in the end, he was wrong, he'd deal with the consequences later. He was finally being open about his feelings for the blonde bombshell and he knew that those feelings were more than a mortal attraction to her. His attraction to her transcended from another lifetime. It was the only explanation.

Rei simply nodded at his murmured words and looked back at the shard that continued to hiss under its glass cage. She could feel the negative energy seeping off of the fragment and wondered what type of damage it had been causing Usagi. Was that why she was still unconscious? Had it drained significant amounts of her energy? Had it done anything else to her? As the questions, were cycling through her mind, she was startled out of her thoughts by Usagi beginning to squirm more violently in Mamoru's embrace.

"What's happening?" she asked concerned.

"I don't know," Mamoru admitted as he tried to lock down Usagi's arms which were desperately trying to push him away, even though she continued to be in a comatose state. He observed her lips part slightly as she mumbled for him to let her go.

"Usagi," he said gently trying to wake her up. "It's me Mamoru… I won't hurt you," he said reassuringly. Tears started to stream out of her closed eyes and his heart dropped. What was happening to her? What was she seeing?

"Usagi?" he said more forcefully. "You need to wake up. Whatever you're seeing it's not real," he stated as he gently shook her. Instead of waking up, he was met with a sentence that was all too familiar to him:

' _Endymion… you need to break down the door… you need to help me!'_

His heart sank as the words sunk into his very soul and everything went blank.


	8. Tuxedo Mask vs Usagi

**A/N: And as promised, another chapter!**

 **Warning - there are some difficult themes in this chapter.**

* * *

 _Diamond had successfully tamed the elusive Moon Princess. She was completely at his mercy as he let his tongue wage war with hers. She lay still beneath his body, and he let his hands travel her._

 _Rubeus stood nearby watching his Prince lose control as he started to lift her dress and cleared his throat. "My Lord this is not the time nor the place to get carried away," he noted testing the waters. "Let us bring her back to our hideaway and then do as you please with her," he urged._

 _This behaviour was irresponsible at best. The plan had been to scare the Princess. Not take advantage of her in her own chambers. Who knew what type of countermeasures the Palace had for these types of attacks. If he wanted to take her by strength and defile her, he couldn't do it here._

 _Diamond lifted his lips from Serenity's and looked at his most trusted soldier. He was right but he couldn't help himself. She was so alluring lying on the crisp white blankets that adorned her bed._

" _You're right," he stated hesitantly and leaned back down towards his Princess. He kissed the length of her neck down to her collar bone. "You'll get a reprieve for now my sweet," he continued in-between kisses, "but rest assured your body will be mine."_

 _At those words, shouting was heard outside of double doors to the Princess's quarters. Diamond and Rubeus listened as several individuals threatened to open fire on the Earthen Prince if he didn't stop his invasion of the castle._

" _You don't understand," they heard him say. "Something is happening to her. I can feel it and I will be dammed if any of you will stop me. That is my_ _fiancé_ _in there and until I see that she is unharmed I refuse to leave," he shouted as he attempted to open the door that Rubeus had now enchanted to be unopenable._

 _A second voice piped up and incredulously stated that the Princess had no fiancé and that any union between the Moon and Earth was completely forbidden. An argument was effectively breaking out in the hallway with the Prince arguing that he was courting her. Diamond couldn`t help but revel at the scene unfolding outside the doors. They thought of Endymion as the enemy - how wrong they were. He turned to Serenity and grinned._

" _Seems like your Prince knows you quite well… I didn't think that you had formed a psychic link with him," he said thoughtfully knowing fully well that those links could only be formed if they consummated their love. His thoughts went blank and he repeated the sentence out loud, "The only way you could have formed that link is if…" his eyes darkened at the realization that his Princess was not as pure as she let on._

" _Hmm…" he said thoughtfully as he stared down at the bunny trapped beneath his grip. "I wouldn't have expected that from you," he admitted and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to sit up._

" _You are quite the temptress Princess and I didn't think you would so easily give away your virtue to some Earthen Prince. I guess Princesses are easily influenceable after all," he mocked. "In the end, it matters not," he said regaining his calm. "He might have taken you first but I'll take you last," he said threateningly as he forced her to her feet._

 _She tried with all of her might to fight against the monster before her, but she was still under his spell. Her limbs were disconnected from her brain. 'Endymion…' she thought to herself, 'you need to break down the door… you need to help me!' she screamed in her mind hoping that her Prince would hear her._

 _Within moments she could hear the Prince losing his patience with his entourage. "Forgive me," he stated honestly and focused all of his powers on breaking down the door. Instead of knocking the door down, his rage and worry for the Princess, made him obliterate the door. Shards of wood exploded everywhere as he stepped into the room, holding his sword in front of him. As the dust settled, he stared at the two shocked faces before him and noticed Serenity being held captive by the white haired man._

 _Diamond had not expected to see that type of power from a mere human, and held on tightly to his prized possession, forcing a yelp from her as he squeezed her tighter to him. He had two choices in that moment: to make a hasty escape with Rubeus or suffer the consequences of their actions with the fuming Prince, and the Lunar Guards that had piled into the room. They didn't seem to think the Prince was a threat anymore and all eyes were now focused on Diamond._

" _Unhand her AT ONCE," Endymion hissed as he stepped towards Diamond._

 _Diamond looked down at the Princess and held her gaze. She was unable to look or run away from him as his third eye played with her mind. She felt a pain ripple across her head as his stare intensified and she felt like the air around her was too thin to take meaningful breaths, and then the sensation was gone. She stood by his side trying to regain her lost breaths and tried to fight away the mounting headache._

 _Diamond turned his attention back to Endymion and smirked, "You can have the little temptress for now but mark my words. We will be back for her and she will become my Queen," he stated wickedly turning his attention back to Serenity and grabbing her forcefully, letting his lips crash down onto hers. She tried to fight him off but she was paralyzed, tears ran down her cheeks as she let him push himself onto her once more._

 _Endymion lost his temper as he saw the repulsive man take Serenity against her will and charged him. Before he could get to him, however, both culprits evaporated into a purple smoke, leaving all the remaining attendants coughing in it's wake. Shouts were once again heard to search the palace and to alert the Inner Senshi and Queen about the attack on the Princess as they watched her crumble unconscious into Endymion's arms._

* * *

Gasping for air Usagi was startled out of her dream, sitting straight up and smashing her forehead on something hard. She let out a startled scream at the impact and was surprised to hear someone groaning in pain. She was even more shocked to feel herself tumble to the ground.

Her eyes flew open as she noticed that Mamoru was hunched over clutching his forehead with both of his hands. All she could do was stare at how close he had been to her and placed a hand to her own forehead. She took the opportunity to recall the dream and shuddered at how violated she felt. Diamond was going to take advantage of Serenity and if it hadn't been for the Prince… the dark haired handsome Prince she repeated and focused her stare on Mamoru. Why did Mamoru remind her of the Prince? As if on cue a searing pain stabbed her in between the eyes and knocked the air out of her lungs. The pain immediately forced the Prince out of her mind as she rubbed her temples and glared at Mamoru - the source of her pain.

Mamoru groaned as he clutched his head and chastised himself for letting Usagi fall to the ground. Under normal circumstances, he would have had quicker reflexes but he was so shocked and confused over the vision he had just experienced that he didn't know how to react. He looked at Usagi, with clear concern in his eyes, and pondered whether she had experienced the same vision as him. Could it be possible that she had been dreaming the same thing and that he was somehow reeled into it?

'That's just crazy talk…' he thought to himself and tried to shake the feeling away but he couldn't help it. She seemed genuinely shaken up and relieved all at once. She _must_ have been experiencing something similar. If she did. It made sense that she would have been thrashing in his arms and requesting to be let go of.

He needed to ask her what she saw but he couldn't very well just ask: 'Hey Odango… been dreaming about a crazy white haired guy, who is hell bent on taking the virtue of a certain Moon Princess?' It seemed rather crazy and insensitive for him. Instead, he decided to respond in typical Mamoru fashion and make light of the situation. He couldn't let on, not yet, that he might know what was happening to her.

"Well, Odango," he said forcing a mirth filled gaze. "I always knew you were hard headed but to try and knock me out for helping you… that's a new low… even for you." He cringed at his own response but reminded himself that the Mamoru she knew, would have made such a comment, and so, he waited for her to lash out in typical Usagi fashion.

Usagi glared at him. Only _he_ could come up with such a statement after everything that happened. Unable to believe his gull, she got to her hands and knees, forcing herself to crawl over to him. If only he knew what she had just gone through, he wouldn't be so smug.

"You're an ass Mamoru…." she spat at him and continued. "Why were you holding me?" she asked as she hit his arm. "Why are you even here? Why do you even care what's happening?" she asked honestly shoving him as tears threatened to fall. She realized that she was overreacting but it was in her nature to do so, especially when he was around. Plus, she couldn't admit it to herself but all she wanted was for him to comfort her. Why wasn't he telling her everything would be ok and that he would protect her? Why wasn't he reacting like Endymion? Why wasn't he doing more… she hesitated as her headache intensified. Conflicted by her feelings she sighed. The real question was not why he wasn't reacting, it was: why did _she_ want _him_ to be _that_ person?

Mamoru hated himself the minute he said his comment. He could see the hurt in her eyes as she verbally assaulted him and even got a few physical jabs at him. They didn't hurt but at each question he felt his heart sink further and further. She truly thought the worse of him. Sighing deeply he looked to her with secrets untold locked behind his cobalt eyes.

"Would you believe me if I said it's because I care?" he indicated with his first honest statement to her in years. "There's just so many things that you don't understand Usagi and you need to know them. That's why I'm here," he stated earnestly trying to hold her stare. "But before I explain to you why I'm here… you need to tell us what happened in that bathroom."

"I don't want to talk about it," she said softly avoiding his stare and falling on Rei instead. How long had she been there and why wasn't she intervening? She should be escorting the baka out of her apartment by now but instead she was hanging back almost completely unnoticed. It urked Usagi that Rei was not asking him to leave. As a result, Rei earned herself a patented Usagi glare.

"Can you tell him to leave? Clearly, he doesn't listen to me," she said angrily.

Rei had been watching the exchange between the two and wondered why Usagi fought so hard against Mamoru. Clearly, there were some feelings therein watching Usagi. You could almost see her battling herself, trying to hold back and not seek the comfort that she so desperately needed. In that moment, Rei decided to help Mamoru and side with him.

"Usagi… you need to listen to him and let him tell you…" she paused not wanting to give away too much information, "...about himself. It's important," she indicated.

Usagi listened to Rei and sighed loudly. If Rei, out of all people, was telling her to give someone a chance, it's because they deserved it. "Fine," she said looking back to Mamoru, "If it means you'll leave... What is it Mamoru-baka? What do you want to tell me?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was frustrated that she wouldn't tell him what happened in the bathroom with Diamond and that she held no trust or confidence in him. His ego was taking a beating and it was starting to cause a toll on his psyche. Pushing it aside, he needed to know that Diamond didn't harm her more than they already knew. "Usagi… I need you to tell me what happened in that bathroom. What did he do to you?"

"Why do you keep on insisting on knowing?" she asked him at the repeated question. There was no way she was going to tell him what happened, he didn't know that part of her life. Unless, he found out something today. Usagi's breath caught in her throat as she finally realized the implications of Mamoru's question and the comprehension that he might have witnessed or bumped into her perpetrator. Could he have witnessed Diamond? 'No,' she thought to herself but then further rationalized that he must have, if he knew about the bathroom incidence or did they just find her unconscious. She didn't know what to tell him in that instance and completely clammed up.

"I can't talk about that," she stated honestly in a small whisper as she wrapped her arms around herself and brought her knees to her chest. She couldn't possibly tell him that some evil guy from the Black Moon decided to attack her in her own apartment because he thought she was the Moon Princess. Mamoru would just laugh at her and make fun of her for the rest of her life. He'd probably even argue that she brought it onto herself that Diamond wanted her. That she had been a tease or given off some sort of signal to want his _very_ unwanted attention.

Rei saw her friend shut down and wondered exactly what Usagi was thinking. She looked to be on the verge of tears. Panic spread through her being as she realized that Diamond could have done far worse than give her a concussion. Before jumping to conclusions though, she decided to thread the water carefully and assume that part of Usagi's refusal to speak with Mamoru was because Diamond was from the Black Moon. If she understood Usagi's thought process (and most of the time she did), she would assume that Mamoru would have no clue about them. As a result, she decided to inform her friend that he wasn't so naive after all. She took a step forward and dropped to one knee beside Usagi placing a hand on her shoulder. Usagi flinched at the touch forcing Rei to remove her hand quickly. It was uncharacteristic for Usagi to shy away from physical contact. She'd revisit that later.

"Usagi…," she started slowly. "Mamoru knows a lot more than you think… He knows about Rubeus and... Diamond."

Usagi's head immediately shot up with a terrified look as she realized the implications of Mamoru knowing about members of the Black Moon. "H-How…?" she hesitated looking from Rei to Mamoru.

Mamoru looked at her with sincerity and sighed. "Look Usagi, I'll tell you everything you need to know once you confirm he didn't lay a hand on you," he said softly. His blood was already boiling at the thought of Diamond taking Serenity and if he tried the same thing with Usagi, it was sending him over the edge. "I just need to make sure he didn't harm you…" he said unable to bring himself to say his deepest fear.

Usagi looked at him noticing that he didn't have a witty response for once and that he seemed completely heartfelt in his request to know what happened. _Why was he so interested?_ she thought to herself. Why did he care? She held her eye contact with him for several moments until she felt uncomfortable staring at him. She lowered her eyes and pretended to pick off lint from her pajamas. Something in her mind was telling her that she needed to tell him the truth.

"I…" she started hesitantly. "Um… He caught me by surprise," she said omitting that he played a trick on her appearance and decided to only give certain nuggets of information. "I tried to leave but he pinned me against the wall and told me I wasn't going anywhere," she said meekly, as she felt tears welling in her eyes. She felt dirty. She didn't understand fully what was happening but she knew she wasn't safe. He would find her again until he had her, just like the Princess.

"He talked about me not knowing _something_ and that it was a shame I didn't remember certain things. He was quite vague, and did give a lot of information. When we heard the knock at the door, I panicked and started screaming for help, it was at that moment that he put his hand on my mouth…" she stopped, remembering the look he had in his eyes as he moved her hair and kissed her forehead.

Mamoru and Rei waited for her to continue but she seemed to be at a loss for words. Mamoru's anxieties immediately spiked. He could feel the hurt seeping off of her and he slowly moved closer to her reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder. The spark of energies played between the two but instead of pulling back he embraced them.

"Usa…" he said softly trying to get her attention.

At the pet name, she lifted her eyes to meet his and saw the worry etched across them. Before she could continue, Mamoru took the opportunity to gently wrap his arms around her bringing her into a warm embrace. At first she stiffened under his electric touch, but then relaxed as she clutched to his shirt and dug her head into his chest, silent tears finally falling. ' _Why does he make me feel safe?'_ she asked herself as she enjoyed the warmth of his body wrapped around hers, and the mounting anxiety dissipating. It was as though his very presence had a calming effect on her, which was far from normal for the baka. She took in a deep breath, listening to his heartbeat and enjoyed that he smelled of roses and cologne. God did she love that familiar soothing scent.

Mamoru was overjoyed that she didn't pull away from him and instead molded perfectly into his body clutching his shirt. He could get used to this feeling. Gone were her attempts to smack him away, and he took advantage to stroke her hair gently as she lay in his arms. "What did he do after that?" he asked in a mere whisper not to disturb their peaceful moment.

Usagi felt his heartbeat increase at the question, and oddly enough she enjoyed it's rhythmic beat. It felt familiar to be in his arms; like she belonged there. "He pushed the hair out of my face and kissed my forehead saying that he would capture me and that…" she paused wondering if she had said too much and decided not to share that he wanted her. Instead, she explained that he knocked her out in their shuffle and that she didn't remember anything after that part. As she explained the story, she felt Mamoru tense at every word that she spoke and his breathing became shallower. If she didn't know any better, she would argue that he was enraged with Diamond's mistreatment of her, but she knew that Mamoru didn't care _that_ _much_ about her. That's why it was so shocking when he uttered:

"I'm going to kill him," he threatened. "He needs to die once and for all for everything that he's done," he continued through clenched teeth.

Usagi leaned out of his embrace and looked at him. She could see the determination in his eyes and the hurt that he was feeling on her behalf. Why was he reacting this way? she asked herself. Why did she feel so very protected by him? That was a feeling typically reserved for Tuxedo Mask. It was odd because in that moment Mamoru reminded her of Tuxedo Mask and it unsettled her. Those fearless blue eyes were boring into her and they held such admiration for her that she continued to wonder why Mamoru was there in the first place. Had he answered why he was there? How did he know about Diamond? Why did he seem unfazed by everything that she told him? _Nothing made sense_. The only thing that did was if Mamoru was part of her secret world and if he was… ' _Oh gods no,'_ she thought to herself. She couldn't finish the sentence as her stomach flipped and she suddenly felt sick. _He couldn't be… could he?_

She started to think of the masked hero and how comfortable he always made her feel, how he always saved her, how he carried her with his strong arms and how he smelled of cologne… and roses. _Just like Mamoru did_. She pictured the tall brooding man before her with a mask and let out a small gasp placing her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened slightly. _He was Tuxedo Mask... that was the only solution_ and she needed to ask him but she wasn't ready for the answer. Was her whole world and belief system about to come crashing down on her?

"Are you…" she began suspiciously. "No…" she said softly and decided to change her tactic. "W-Who... a-are you Mamoru?" she questioned as her insides began to shake. She knew the answer but she needed to hear it _from him_.

She had caught on to him. How... he didn't know but somehow she did. He knew it, she knew it. Looking at her, he felt the urge to move a bothersome piece of hair out of her eyes but knew not to cross that line. After all, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were on extremely good terms… Mamoru and Usagi not so much. He watched her back away ever so slightly. and he couldn't help but feel hurt as her eyes turned accusatory. 'I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less…' he thought to himself as she sat waiting for an answer.

Passing a nervous hand through his hair, he forced a small smile. "I think you may already know," he ventured hoping she would remain calm.

"I need to hear you say it…" she said softly.

"Usagi… I don't want you to freak out," he said genuinely, as his hands still rested at her sides. He felt her stiffen under his touch and knew that whether he liked it or not, she would not accept the news easily. As a result, he decided to take a deep breath. After all, he had come to see her to reveal his secret.

"I'm..." he started slowly and took another deep breath changing his tactics. "You might know my alter ego… Tuxedo Mask," he said weakly and pulled out a magnificent red rose out of thin air. He handed it to her to make sure she didn't doubt his revelation.

Even though she knew it, she gasped as she heard the words fall out of his mouth and he handed her the rose. As she held onto it tightly, it only served to make his admission that much more powerful. How had she never noticed? For years, she had contemplated his identity and it was the baka? Oh my god, not only did she kind of have feelings for the Baka but NOW he was also her masked saviour? How could this be happening? Why was everything happening today?

"I need to leave," she murmured as she removed herself from his hold.

He gently tugged her hand, preventing her from fleeing. "Wait Usagi… you can't leave. We need to talk this through. I only just…"

"Talk it through?" she interrupted. "This is potentially the most shocking thing I've had happen. If my day wasn't bad enough, I find out that the one man I cared for is YOU," she said pointing at him. "I'm having a mental breakdown over all of this so _excuse me_ if I need a moment to think," she said sarcastically. "How can you be Tuxedo Mask? He's… He's… He's so nice. I _actually_ thought that he cared for me," she accused as tears fell.

"How far from the truth is that one, huh?" she said continuing on her rampage. "It would make sense that the one man that hates me the most on Earth ends up being Tuxedo Mask. Why wouldn't that make sense, right? It's not enough, that I already have some psychopath rapist from my past lifetime on my hands, but now I have to deal with the lost of my Tuxedo…" she trailed off as her arms fell limply to her side. There was no point explaining to him how much she actually cared for her masked hero. He was probably already laughing on the inside at how stupid she was.

Mamoru listened as she poured her heart out and explained how disappointed she was with his true identity. He wouldn't lie it hurt. And he let it show it as his face fell. He didn't know what he had been anticipating but he expected her to at least be semi-happy and not place him in the same category as Diamond.

Now while he was hurt by all the comments, the fact that she alluded to a previous lifetime and that Diamond was a psychopath worried him. What had she been remembering? What wasn't she telling them? He worried more about those words than the extreme disappointment she was exuding over his identity.

"I just can't believe this," she continued. "Why would the fates have it that you're Tuxedo Mask…? How long have you known that I'm Sailor Moon? I swear to the gods Mamoru that if you say it's been years I'm going to kill you," she threatened.

Mamoru shook his head as he regained his senses. "No Usagi I didn't know for years…" he said defeatedly. "I only found out this morning during the battle. Something you said tipped me off and everything just fell into place," he explained honestly. "If you would just calm down maybe we could have a civil conversation and talk this through."

"Calm down? You want ME to calm down?" she exclaimed. "NO. I'm not calming down. Everything has been going horribly wrong the past few weeks. I can't sleep, I'm having dreams that are haunting me, and now this? I just can't handle anymore surprises. So, thank you for telling me who you are but please get out," she said standing up. She needed to get away from him. He was too close to her and she was having difficulties thinking. A voice in her mind was telling her to trust him and to go to him but she wouldn't be that weak. She couldn't.

Rei stepped towards Usagi deciding to intervene again. "Usagi," she said calmly trying to get her blonde friend to get a hold of herself. "You need to stop overreacting about this and listen to what he has to say. There's a lot more to Mamoru than just being Tuxedo Mask. A lot more…" she warned her.

"I can't deal with this Rei," she whispered to her.

"Well, you're going to have to deal with it Usagi. You need to know that he saved you today not only in the battle but _here._ Without him intervening, something horrible could have happened to you. You need to realize that he…" she stopped herself abruptly realizing that she was about to give away Mamoru's deepest secret regarding Usagi, that he cared for her, and that was not her place to say anything.

"Usagi," Mamoru said as he walked over to her and Rei. "Please, just sit down and let's talk about this like adults. I need to explain some things about who I am," he admitted completely dejected.

While he had hoped to tell her his feeling, he no longer wished to do so. Her reaction was far worse than he anticipated and he knew the feelings were not mutual. His ego was wounded and his heart was crushed. He would try to get through the conversation and then go home to mend his wounds. Never, had he thought that her rejection would send him into such a tailspin but it did. Aching on the inside he attempted not to lash out at her or probe her for her feelings.

Usagi turned to him wondering what more he could possibly tell her about himself and crossed her arms eyeing him suspiciously. She couldn't help but think he seemed hurt and shocked by her reaction. What was more shocking to her though - was his pain. She could _feel_ that he was hurt, that he felt rejected, that he was trying everything in his power to save face. She had never felt a connection so strong to anyone before and it sent her mind reeling. She had also never realized that she had this connection with Mamoru.

When had she developed this connection? Was it because she knew he was Tuxedo Mask now? She wanted nothing more than to reach out to him and console him but she didn't know why. This was the baka after all. She shouldn't care… but she did. She always did and there was no use in hiding it any longer, a voice whispered to her. Complete confusion took over.

"I'm so confused Mamoru…" she whispered as she tried to make sense of the situation but came up short. "Why are you looking at me that way? Why are you hurt by all of this?" she asked trying to understand the mixed bag of feelings. "And don't tell me you're not hurt… _I can feel it._ Why can I feel it?" she said emphasizing the last part of her sentence.

"I can tentatively explain all of it," he said honestly. "But part of it is only speculation, so you'll have to bear with me," he said nervously passing a hand through his hair. He was going to tell her everything. Not only did he need to do it for himself but she needed to know. Maybe, if she knew who he _truly_ was, she would feel more inclined to share everything with him. He knew she was withholding the truth, and he hoped that if he was honest with her, that she would trust him enough to share what had really been happening with her. It was perhaps ambitious and naive to think she would, but he could no longer live this way given the mounting visions.

"Well... speculation is better than not understanding what's happening to me…" she stated honestly. "If you have answers then I want them."

"I'll try my best to explain what I know and what I think is happening," he affirmed sincerely. He turned his attention to Rei and was about to ask her to leave when she put her hand up.

"I know my place," Rei said with a small smile thanking the stars that she finally had an opportunity to leave the awkward third wheel situation that had formed. "I'm going to stand outside and wait for the others to arrive. I'll let them know you guys are having a talk and fill them in on everything that I know. Just let us know when we can come back in," she said nodding and turning towards the door.

She stopped abruptly and looked at the glass on the floor with the piece of crystal shard in it. "Just keep an eye on that thing. I don't want to move it without Ami taking a look at it. So try not to trip over it," she said lifting her eyes to Usagi.

Before Usagi could reply Mamoru intervened. "We're just going to sit over there and I'll keep an eye on it," he indicated as he turned his attention back to Usagi and explained briefly that he would explain the strange crystal later.

Usagi simply nodded as she watched Rei leave her apartment. She suddenly felt quite alone without her fiery friend standing by her and looked at Mamoru. What was he going to tell her? She could feel the anxiety coming from him and it did nothing to calm her own nerves. Trying to distract herself she walked over to her couch and plopped down. The least she could do was be comfortable, during what she thought would be an awkward conversation.

Mamoru followed silently as his heart beat erratically. He watched Usagi sit on the couch and decided that it would be best for him to sit on the solid oak coffee table in front of her. He wanted to be close enough to see her true reaction but not close enough that she would freak out. He carefully sat down in front of her, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"So here we are…" he said tentatively watching her cerulean eyes search his.

"Here we are indeed…" she repeated holding his gaze.


	9. Heartfelt Admissions

**A/N:** A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed and / or read this story. It's been absolutely amazing to see the love for the story grow through reviews, PM's and the sheer volume of visitors. You're making me a happy writer and I'm glad that I can provide you with some entertainment on a weekly basis :)

Now without further ado it's the moment everyone has been waiting for: the conversation between Usagi and Mamoru. Yes, it's actually going to happen *gasp* I hope that you guys enjoy it! I put a little surprise at the end ;) ENJOY!

And don't forget to review the story! I love hearing your feedback :)

PS… I lost all my edits to this chapter *sad face* So I apologise in advance for any problems!

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"Here we are indeed…"

The soft words spoke to Mamoru as he took in her cerulean eyes. All of Usagi's attention was focused on him with a questioning look that beckoned him for answers. Answers that only _he_ could provide. He knew that, she knew that. Even though, it still didn't make it any easier for him to actually say something to her? So far he was only doing an effective job at staring at her and not providing any clarity.

The reason was simple: Chiba Mamoru was nervous. More nervous than he had ever been in his entire life. He found that every muscle in his body had tightened, and while he wore a casual smile upon his exterior, his insides were churning as he constantly questioned himself.

What happened if she _laughed_ at his theory?

What happened if she rejected him completely?

What happened if she was… disappointed?

...Disappointed that the man before her was her Prince. That her baka meant more to her than she cared to admit. What happened if everything he was feeling was one sided? That she didn't feel the same pull he felt? That he was mistaken in his theory that she was his Princess? What would he do then?

As the questions poured through his mind, his smile faltered slightly and Usagi caught it. She looked at him as he continued his inner struggle. While he looked in control of the situation, his anxiety was evident in the way that his foot tapped ever so lightly on the ground. _A habit he had never been able to break out of,_ she thought to herself. She caught the slip and wondered when she would have noticed this about Mamoru. If there was one thing that he exuded, it was confidence, not this level of nervousness. She couldn't recall a time when he had been this incapacitated around her.

Yet, here he was tapping his foot against the floor, his heart beating rapidly and those dark sapphire eyes piercing through her. It took every fiber in her being not to reach out to him. He suddenly felt very far, even though, he sat inches from her. Ever since she came back and had the unfortunate misfortune of bumping into him, he was all she wanted, and that very thought scared her. Why had her feelings for him intensified so drastically? It was unsettling at best and his continued silence was deafening.

Unfortunately, for her, it forced her to face the mounting feelings as she watched him shift ever so slightly in front of her. Every move he made, she watched with fascination and… want. A slight blush spread across her cheeks at the realization that her baka meant so much more to her, then she could imagine, a feat she thought impossible. It was only compounded, as she felt his anxieties shift to sadness. It sent her mind reeling. What was he thinking, and why wasn't he speaking? It was driving her mad. She needed to take control of the situation and get him to open up.

Moving forward from her position on the couch, she inched towards him, their knees barely touching and gently took his hand in hers. Upon their touch, a vision of the Prince and Princess meandering through the royal gardens flashed through her mind. She blinked several times and shook the thought out of her mind. Now was not the time to start having flashbacks.

"Mamoru," she said softly trying to compose herself and ignore the mounting electricity between the two. "You can talk to me... "

Mamoru was jolted out of his self-deprecating thoughts by soft fingers lacing themselves into his. He looked down at their hands as he experienced the same vision Usagi had. It was a vague vision, nothing like he had experienced before, but it was a vision nonetheless. It only reaffirmed his beliefs of who she was.

Looking up he saw a hint of worry flash through her eyes as she prompted him to speak.

 _She had seen it too._

"Usagi," he began. "You saw it too didn't you," he inquired. He needed to know whether they were experiencing the same types of visions. If she wasn't then there was only one logical explanation: he was going crazy.

She blinked back the surprise at the question. 'What did he mean by _you saw it too?_ There was no way that he could see what's happening in my mind,' she thought to herself and decided to deny his affirmation by shaking her head.

Mamoru narrowed his eyes at the petite blonde before him and mumbled, "Always stubborn Odango atama…" he said shaking his head. Even though he was disappointed in her response a smile played on his lips, slowly making its way to his eyes.

"Are you lying to yourself or to me... just to see my reaction?" he asked amused. _It would be like her to deny me the truth,_ he thought as he waited for her answer.

"Fine," Usagi admitted. There was no point in denying him the satisfaction of knowing that she felt something when they touched and that she saw a vision. If she was being honest with herself though, it bothered her that he experienced it too. It clearly meant they were more intrinsically linked than she originally anticipated.

"Was that so hard?" Mamoru asked clearly still amused.

"Well, Mamoru," she started and took her hand out of his to make a point. "What the hell is happening?" she asked no longer able to mask her confusion over the entire situation. "Why is all of this happening and why do you seem _not_ to be bothered by it? Last time I checked... normal people are not supposed to see visions or dreams or..."

"Memories," he finished for her. "That's right Usagi what happens if they _are_ memories. Have you ever thought about that implication?"

"Of course I have Mamoru. Don't you think I have? Don't you think I understand the implications of half of this stuff?" she stated honestly. "Can you please just tell me what you know so that I can fill in the blanks on my end? I need to make sense of this situation and I feel that you have a lot more information than I do. So spill already," she said pushing herself back into the couch and crossing her arms. She wasn't angry at him but she wanted answers. Not mocking responses to prove that they were both crazy.

"Ok, fine, fine," he said throwing up his hands. "But move over on the couch," he said with a smirk. "This table is not as comfortable as I originally thought," he lied. Truth be told, he needed to be closer to her and the fact that she kept on moving away; aggravated him.

She sighed and shifted over slightly, excited at the prospect that he would be sitting so close to her. 'Snap out of it Usagi,' she coaxed herself as he sat down beside her. 'You're acting like a stupid tween experiencing a high school crush… this is Mamoru-baka, pull yourself together!' But that only served as more fuel to ignite the want she had been trying to push down for years.

Mamoru raised an eyebrow at the blonde ball of nerves sitting next to him. He could feel the mixed emotions seeping off of her and felt the uncertainty laced with wanton being directed towards him. He took the opportunity to finally start what he needed to explain.

"Can we just be serious for a few moments?" he said leaning over and boldly moved a bothersome small piece of hair from her face. He noticed her cheeks flush at the contact and the smallest flash of the Princess played in his minds eye. For the first time, he had simply seen Serenity as Usagi. Her silver hair contoured her face while the golden crescent shone brightly on her forehead. Before he could explore any additional features the flash ended.

Realizing that he still had his hand on her cheek, he let it drop from her face, only to be surprised when Usagi took it. Her eyes lowered as she mumbled that she preferred the contact.

Mamoru felt his own cheeks flush at the slight admission from his bubbly blonde and decided not to press the comment further. It was clearly an admission that she felt comfortable with him and he would take it as is, rejoicing in the contact that she was now allowing between the two.

"You know Usagi," he started tentatively trying to determine how to start this awkward conversation. "I don't know how much you know about me," he probed.

"Oh you mean other than you're an ass that has an obsession with making fun of me?" she said poking fun at him.

"Yes other than that," he said with a chuckle. "There's a reason why an ass, as you like to say. I had a really tough childhood," he admitted to her. "I was orphaned at a very young age and as a result I excelled in building rather thick and impenetrable walls around myself, to essentially become isolated," he hesitated.

"That is until you walked into my life…" he admitted. "For some odd reason, you were always able to chip away at the walls I built and you were able to make me smile. Genuinely smile Usagi… it's like you always had this power over me that I never knew you had. I probably sound crazy but when my parents died I lost all of my friends, my family, my thoughts… I was a blank slate who never thought he could find any pleasure in life. I easily excelled at things but never truly enjoyed them… until you came along," he said reinforcing that she was _his_ light.

"You were a bubbly 14 year old, who ate far too much and had no sense of coordination," he said with a low chuckle as she gently hit him in the arm.

"Watch it Mamoru… this klutz can still kick your ass," she threatened playfully.

A few moments passed, in a comfortable silence, before Usagi seriously pressed further to find out what happened to him. She had never heard of his dark childhood and she wanted to know more. It was time that he let her in, on why he acted the way he did.

He explained the accident, his recovery and his childhood in the orphanage, and went into great details about the sorrow he experienced. As he explained his darkest secrets, all she wanted to do was embrace him, and tell him how sorry she was for his loss. However, before she could he continued to explain the effect she had on him.

"There was just something about you that made me unnaturally drawn to you. I tried to fight it because, let's be honest - we're opposites. You're the gorgeous klutzy bombshell that everyone feels drawn to and I'm just the boring serious guy who keeps to himself," he noted truthfully.

"But somehow you saw past all of that… you didn't seem to be bothered by my nonchalant attitude to life. You made it a point to talk to me, to poke fun at me… You, as Sailor Moon _and_ as my little Odango, both of you unknowingly changed everything for me. It's as though a light bulb went off in my mind and I knew I couldn't let you go," he said pausing.

"There was just something about you," he said softly as he stroked the back of her hand lost to his own thoughts; completely oblivious to the endearing look Usagi was giving him or the fact that she was hanging on every single word as if her life depended on it. Her heart was absolutely soaring at his admission that she was more than a stupid odango.

"You always brightened my day… you still do," he smiled weakly as the sincerity found its way to his eyes.

"At first, we only had chance encounters but then… if I didn't see you everyday I wondered what happened," he said genuinely. "I had to know where you were... I know that makes me sound crazy but if I didn't see you… I felt empty. Your joie de vivre and your laugh kept me going…" he noted rather uncomfortably.

Never had he shared his deepest secrets, not even to Motoki, his best friend. So admitting to Usagi that he essentially loved her for over 6 years was taking a lot out of him but he pressed on.

"So I added daily visits to the arcade just to see you. To be able to talk to you or even just for the chance to be in your presence for a few moments…" he confessed.

"I always wondered whether you came on purpose," Usagi admitted not lifting her eyes. Her heart was bursting at his admission and she feared that if she looked into his eyes she wouldn't be able to contain her feelings.

Mamoru nodded at her comment. "I guess it makes me a glorified stalker but I can't explain it. I…"

"I went out of my way every morning to bump into you on my way to school," she interrupted, deciding to push aside her pride. She had to give him some indication she felt the same way. Her cheeks burned brightly as she continued to stare at he pyjama bottoms.

Mamoru smiled at the admission that she purposefully "bumped" into him every morning. "I also always wondered about those 'chance' encounters… And if I'm being honest, those were the best parts of my day minus the bruised ribs," he said with a wink.

She lifted her eyes to his as the blush continued to spread across her cheeks. "I never meant to trip you or kick you or physically bump into you. I just someone turned into the ultimate klutz around you," she whispered. "I never meant to actually hurt you…" she confessed her eyes watering.

Mamoru looked down at her and noticed that her eyes were pooling with unshed tears. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel guilty over any of this. "Usa," he said sweetly reaching out to her and placing a hand to the side of her face. He stroked her cheek gently, ignoring the overwhelming need to kiss her.

"You never hurt me. I quite liked having you _that_ close to me. It was in those rare instances that I felt oddly complete," he continued as small images of a past he didn't quite understand continued to play in his mind, ignoring the a low grade headache.

"That's why when you suddenly disappeared, I realized how lost I was without you. It's as though I needed you to leave in order to truly understand how deeply I cared for you. Seeing you come back in the past few weeks has ignited feelings I thought I had been able to keep hidden. I just can't anymore," he said shaking his head. "Especially, given the circumstances," he added as a warning, trying to prepare her for his true identity.

Her heart dropped at the veiled warning.

"What circumstances?" she wondered as she searched his eyes for an answer. Was he going to tell her that even though he liked her, he didn't love her? Was that where this conversation was going? At that thought, her heart suddenly dropped. Had she gotten her hopes up for no reason. Was he about to unknowingly break her heart, after giving her such hope? Her thoughts were interrupted by both of his hands cupping her face. She took in a quick breath as she felt the electric pull go through her.

"What are you thinking Usa?" Mamoru asked honestly, as he felt her doubt increase. "I hope you know, I'm not questioning my feelings towards you. You just don't know everything about me and you need to," he said softly removing his hands from her and resting them on his lap.

"So tell me Mamoru," she whispered bracing herself for the worse.

"I will I just don't want you to freak out," he warned.

"I won't," she promised quickly.

"Usa," he said eyeing her. "I'm going to hold you to that."

Usagi simply nodded and prepared to hear what was so important. She listened as Mamoru began to explain in detail the fight between Beryl, herself and Tuxedo Mask. He described how he had arrived to the scene too late. The Senshi had already been defeated and he saw Sailor Moon trying to fight off Beryl. He tried to get to her but there was an invisible field that was preventing him from getting too close.

"I tried screaming to you to get your attention but nothing seemed to be working. You were so focused on taking down Queen Beryl and defeating her. I could feel you becoming tired at the amount of energy you were exerting but you never gave up. You never do… I tried breaking the barrier that was keeping me from you but no matter how hard I tried... nothing seemed to work. On my last attempt, I noticed that Beryl had been absorbed by Metalia and you were screaming at her. You looked so hurt Usagi," he recalled as his eyes glazed over reliving the painful moments.

"I couldn't hear what you were saying but she approached you and you shoved your moon wand into her causing a surge of energy to flutter across the night sky. It was incredibly blinding and then it died, as quickly as it had started, and a dark red energy blasted through you. All I could do was watch in horror as you were thrown backwards, skidding across the floor, unmoving. Seeing you fall so violently caused something to happen to me."

He took a deep breath recalling the event in question, trying to place everything in the correct order. "When you lay unmoving. I panicked, every fiber in my being went into overdrive. I somehow broke through the barrier before me with my bare hands and started running towards you. I never made it though…. My anger and anguish caused something to take over my senses. A blinding blue light swept through me causing me to fall to my knees… and transform."

He momentarily stopped to make sure she was still following and looked to her for acknowledgement.

"I remember seeing that but I don't know what you transformed into..." she stated truthfully recalling the dream she had several weeks ago where he transformed into some type of… armour.

Mamoru lifted an eyebrow at the admission. From his own recollection, Usagi was unconscious when the transformation occurred but he could have been wrong. "Ok…" he said slowly and took a deep breath.

"I transformed into my past self… Prince Endymion."

Usagi's jaw dropped, as her head began to throb. She couldn't help it; she was in complete shock. Out of all things she thought he was going to say, she didn't think it would be that. Perhaps, he was a guard of the Prince or one of the Kings, but the Prince himself? That meant… that if she was the Princess, he was her Prince. The implications were far too great to believe, she thought to herself, but then again it would make sense. The fatal attraction they have for one another, the constant electric pull they felt for one another, the dreams with the dark haired blue eyed Prince… the headaches… Everything made sense.

Now, more than ever she believed she was the Princess. She had been fighting it before out of principle but now it made sense. Luna and Artemis had explained the stories about the Moon Princess and the Earthen Prince, and how they experienced a love that knew no bounds. If Mamoru was the Prince and he felt that pull towards her… there was only one explanation.

"Why don't I remember?" she asked defensively.

"Usagi, from what i remember you looked like you were dead. I'm surprised you were even able to see me transform into the Prince," he defended. He was surprised that she wasn't reacting more to the fact he was the Prince. He assumed that she would have had a million questions, especially if his theories about her dreams / visions were correct.

"No, Mamoru," she said getting agitated at the situation, not him. "Why do you remember being the Prince and I don't remember?" she asked again.

"Because you're not the Prince?" he replied cautiously and rather dumbly.

"No, it's not fair," she said lost to her thoughts. "Why do you remember being the Prince and I don't remember being the Princess?" she asked earnestly. "Why is that? Why didn't I transform that night? Why am I still in the dark?"

Mamoru listened intently to her, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he was keeping.

"I don't know Usagi… I've been trying to figure out the same thing," he said rather shocked that she realized she was the Princess. He had assumed that she might believe she was but the way she was speaking with such certainty meant she must know.

"How do you know you're the Princess?" he questioned.

"Do you not think I am?" she asked rather defensively realizing that she could have been very wrong about the visions, the dreams and Diamond.

"Oh no," he said throwing up his arms. "I full heartedly believe you are the Princess but I was under the impression… _you didn't know,"_ he said emphasizing the last few words.

"Well… I don't _really_ know but I think I am."

She took the opportunity to explain to him exactly what had been happening to her over the past few weeks. It was the first time that she was being honest with someone about the terrors she was experiencing from the visions, the dreams and Diamond taunting her. She also took the opportunity to explain in detail what happened in the washroom and her most recent visions.

Mamoru tensed at the revelation that the white haired bastard was taunting her in her dreams. He wondered whether it was Usagi's unconsciousness pushing forward the visions as a warning or whether Diamond was forcing them into her mind. Either way, Mamoru knew they were truthful.

"I can't say for certain I am her but Diamond seems to think so. And when I dream of the Princess, she is me. I don't see her anymore, I just see myself in all of these situations. It must mean something… Am I her?" she asked hopefully looking to Mamoru for an answer regarding her bizarre state of mind and pushing down the mounting headache.

Mamoru wished nothing more than anything that he could confirm her thoughts but he couldn't. All he could do was explain to her his view on the subject.

"I don't remember her," he stated honestly. "All I know is that she has light hair and light eyes. It's as though my memory is suppressed and plagued by headaches but I don't know why that would have happened. Why was I able to awaken as the Prince, which I truly am, and not remember the one person I care for the most?" he asked not expecting a response.

"Because something happened the night we fought Beryl and Metalia," she replied simply. "I never felt right after that night. _Did you?_ "

"No, I haven't," he stated frankly. "I've always felt like something was missing. Like… you were missing," he ventured admitting his feelings.

"Usa… I truly believe _you are my Princess_ and even if you're not, it doesn't matter because…" He steadied himself for his next sentence and took both of her hands in his.

"I'm in love with you..."

Usagi's breath caught in her throat as all other thoughts danced away. That's what she had been waiting for him to say, that he cared for her as much as she did. Nothing mattered in that moment. What Beryl or Metalia had done, what Diamond was planning, what the fates had aligned for them. Nothing mattered. She was _his_ Princess regardless of whether she actually was or not.

"Mamoru… I..." she hesitated as emotions tried to overtake her power of speech. "I feel the same way about you," she finally confessed as she felt an enormous weight lifted off of her shoulders. For years she had been harboring secret feelings for the baka and finally she was being honest with herself.

Unable to control her feeling any longer she threw her entire body at him in a heartfelt embrace. Slightly shocked at her reaction, Mamoru fell backwards onto the arm of the couch letting out a chuckle. It was true Odango style to tackle him. He cradled her petite frame on top of him as she held on tightly burying her head into his chest. His heart raced as he felt her shift and adjust her eyes upwards to his darkened blue eyes. Usagi had no idea what she was doing to him and the amount of restraint, he was exercising.

"Mamo-chan," she whispered inching her way up to his face. "I'm so happy that you were able to share everything with me," she stated wholeheartedly. "Now we can try and face all of this together," she said placing both her hands on his chest. "And even if I don't end up being the Princess, at least we both know how we feel…" she said weakly, her heartbreaking slowly at the thought that she might not actually be her.

"Usako, you mean everything to me, with or without being the Princess. You always will..."

He gently brought his face to meet hers, and captured her lips with his own. He let his tongue slowly trace her lips, seeking an opening. Within seconds Usagi let out a small gasp as her lips parted willingly to let him explore her mouth. He revelled in the feeling of having her so close to him as his hands absently traveled slowly up and down her body. Their breathing became laboured as their embrace intensified and she pressed herself into him. Both forgetting all their cares in the world as they only focused on each other.

Mamoru let his hand wander under Usagi's shirt and before he could get any further, they were both plunged into a vision.

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 _Serenity and Endymion sat peacefully in a loving embrace in the Princess' private garden. She leaned her back into his chest as he passed his hand through her silver strands of hair._

" _Sere?" he asked softly, his breath tickling her ear._

" _Hmm?" she acknowledged slowly opening her eyes. Invigorated by his warm breath on her neck._

" _You know I love you right?" he pressed on as he continued to let his hands roam through her hair and down her arms._

 _Serenity shivered at the sensation coursing through her veins and turned around to face her Prince._

" _Of course I do Endymion… What type of question is that?" she asked incredulously._

 _Endymion couldn't help but smirk as her eyebrows creased together and she looked at him utterly confused. He moved a piece of hair from her eyes, admiring his ethereal goddess before bringing her forward for a passionate kiss. Serenity played into his advances and encircled her dainty arms and hands around his neck, as he pulled her closer to him._

 _She broke the kiss momentarily and breathed his name softly against his lips, before diving in further. Endymion let his hands travel down her body carefully and tentatively caressing her breasts, her waist and finally landing on her hips. He let his fingers linger before caressing her backside, and lifting her to straddle him._

 _He couldn't help the small groan that escaped his lips, as she purposefully thrusted into him. She smiled into the kiss, and broke free, placing kisses along his jaw and finally landing at his ear._

" _Thought you were in control Endy?" she toyed with him. "You should know better," she teased as she continued her kisses down his neck._

" _I'm only letting you think you're in control," he grinned back, as he gently brought her face to his._

 _He noticed her heavy lidded eyes, filled with passion. God did he love her. He plunged back in, letting his tongue infiltrate her mouth and explore. His hands continued their journey back up her body and rested on her breast. One hand slowly massaged her left breast while the other made it's way to the back of her dress and unzipped it, ever so slowly._

 _Endymion gently pushed down the front of the dress, revealing Serenity's pearly white strapless bra which adorned but one crescent moon in the middle of her perky breast. He took a moment to simply enjoy her beauty and take in that she was his._

 _Serenity, on the other hand, took the opportunity to slowly remove his jacket and undo the buttons of his pale blue dress shirt. She let her hands slip under the open shirt and explore his chest and back. Both of which she was very familiar with._

 _Endymion leaned forward and kissed the tip of her ear. "I love you Serenity," he said huskily, as he continued his butterfly kisses down her jaw to her neck and collarbone. He used his kisses as a distraction to unclasp her bra letting it fall to the ground._

 _Shocked at his forwardness, Serenity let out a meek, "Endyyy…" before she let her head fall back, as his lips captured one of her breast. Letting out a small moan, she passed her hands through his hair, enjoying the electric sensations he was causing._

 _Endymion continued his assault on her breast and let his tongue glide over her nipple ever so slightly at first, and more forcefully after a few moments. It elicited a moan from his Princess that only drove him to let his free hand travel further south, to find her most precious place. He let his hand slip under her dress, taking pleasure in the slow pace of his hand hitting her thigh, passing her hip and then resting on the cusp of her lacy undergarments, as he attempted to remove them with one finger._

 _Serenity shivered at the continued attention and the excitement that was building within her. Her breathing hitched the closer he came to her underwear and she could help the small gasp that escaped as he played with her lace underwear. Her passion was only heightened more by his relentless attention to her breast._

" _Ahem."_

 _Lost to their passion, both the Prince and Princess, never heard the two approaching figures nor the slight clear of the throat that occurred. Both Sailor Venus and General Kunzite, stood mouth agape at the display of their royals before them. Countless times they had warned them not to engage in any sexual activities outside closed chambers but here they were again, in the courtyard, albeit private… attempting to fornicate._

" _AHEM," Kunzite attempted again as he tried not to watch closely as the Princess was quite indecently exposed._

" _Usagi...?"_

" _Mamoru…?"_

" _What are they doing….?"_

Voices infiltrated the rather pleasant vision they were experiencing.

It was Usagi who realized that something was not quite right, and broke away from Mamoru panting. She had never felt so aroused in her entire life, and she could feel that Mamoru was as well. She looked up behind the couch and saw 4 pairs of rather confused eyes boring down on their disheveled state.

"Um…. hi?" was all she managed to say before the barrage of questions hit both of them.

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 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it ;)


	10. Expectations

**A/N:** Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews and feedback regarding the latest chapters! I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to reply to your reviews but I truly appreciate them! I plan on replying some time this week. It's just that work has been crazy over the past few days leaving me strapped for time.

I still had time to pump out another chapter though and I'm excited to reveal that I almost have the whole story mapped out. There should be at least another 10 chapters so there's still lots of drama to be had ;)

Enjoy the latest chapter… It does have a bit of filler in it but I swear all the next chapters really pick up and the story with the baddies will really intensify!

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30 minutes prior...

Rei paced the length of the hallway as she tried to mentally put all of the pieces together. She knew the only thing that would ease her restless mind was the power of the great fire. It would give her the additional answers that she sought and that she needed so desperately. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the elevator doors open and three of her closest friends stepped out bearing worried expressions.

"What happened?" Makoto demanded as she marched up to Rei looking past her to the closed door. "Why are you in the hallway? Shouldn't you be in there keeping an eye on Usagi?" she questioned, noticing that the Miko didn't seem to be fretting over their bubbly blonde friend.

Rei put up her hand and closed her eyes. "Makoto," she said quietly taking a deep breath. She didn't want this to be an interrogation regarding her lack of accountability towards Usagi. While in the past she thought their leader lacked skill, Usagi had proven herself worthy over and over again. To have Makoto accuse her of not caring for the blonde opened a wound that she didn't want the others to explore. It had been years since she had questioned Usagi's leadership skills and tonight would not be the night to explore the concept further.

Reopening her eyes she addressed everyone ensuring they understood that she would never leave Usagi alone after such an attack.

"She's not in there alone," she started rather defensively. "She's with Mamoru and they're having a heart to heart that they should have had years ago."

Mina couldn't help but smile brightly at the news and clasped both hands together. "Are they finally admitting their feelings for one another?" she asked excitedly. For years she had seen the strings of destiny wrapped around those two. She had attempted several times to push them into each others arm but it always failed.

"It's about damn time," she continued. "Now I won't have to constantly see the strings and wonder why THEY can't see it! I ALWAYS told you guys that they liked each other but noooo, no one believed little old me… the goddess of love," she pouted.

Makoto rested a hand on Mina's shoulder and patted it gently. "We believed you, but at the time, it just seemed impossible... that's all," she stated earnestly and turned her attention back to Rei.

"I do have one question though… How did Mamoru get involved in all of this? Why would he even be at Usagi's apartment? Wasn't she just attacked by this Prince Diamond guy? Luna didn't give us a lot of details…" she stated as she started listing off the reasons on her fingers, "Only that Diamond attacked her, that she was unconscious and that we all needed to get here as soon as possible."

Rei nodded at Makoto's understanding of the situation. "All of that is true but you don't know the second portion of the events. _Mamoru_ was _the one_ that saved Usagi from the attack Diamond planned on her. He's the one that thwarted his plans," she explained evenly.

"He's a lot more involved in all of this then you can imagine," she continued and looked at the three women before her. "Let's just say that he's been fighting along us for a long time, as our masked ally…" she paused watching the three expressions change, "as Tuxedo Mask for years…" she said letting it finally sink in.

Mina was the first to explode. "How many times did I tell you guys that Mamoru was Tuxedo Mask? HOW MANY?" she exclaimed excitedly. "I told you his aura was too reminiscent of Mamoru's. I could see the strings of destiny were wrapped around Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, in the same manner they were for Usagi and Mamoru. But, NO, all of you just thought that I was grasping at straws. HA! I knew it," she replied triumphantly.

The other girls simply rolled their eyes and dove into a lengthy conversation of the implications that Mamoru was Tuxedo Mask. In speaking with Rei, they also discovered that Mamoru was Prince Endymion and that he regained his memories at the final battle with Beryl.

The girls interrupted excitedly at the prospect that Mamoru knew who the Princess was but their excitement soon died as Rei informed them that the Princess remained hidden. She did however inform them that Mamoru truly believed Usagi was Princess Serenity. That she somewhat fit her profile and that his feelings towards her were stronger than anything he had ever felt before. That they had only amplified since becoming Prince Endymion.

She also shared that Usagi had been experiencing dreams of the Princess and explained who the Kings were. She wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page and that everyone understood how serious the situation was.

Lastly, she explained the attack that had befallen Usagi, and Diamond's unhealthy obsession with their friend. While she didn't know all of the details, there was one thing that was certain: Usagi was in grave danger. She further noted that either Rubeus or Diamond had implanted a dark shard of glass into Usagi's hair which had been draining her energy, and doing god knows what else.

"I'll take a look at the strange material and try to determine what type of threat we're dealing with," Ami stated from her now seated position on the floor. Throughout the lengthy conversation, the girls had found themselves sitting on the ground lining the door in front of Usagi's apartment.

Rei nodded at Ami with silent acknowledgement and a peaceful silence fell over the group for a few moments. Makoto was the first to speak, breaking the comfortable quiet.

"Doesn't this seem all crazy and familiar all at once?" she asked leaning her head against the wall. "I mean, I just can't help but feel there's a certain familiarity to all of this. Us, sitting outside of Usagi's room as she speaks with Mamoru… it just all seems familiar."

Mina nodded in agreement. "Maybe we're going to start remembering things from our previous life," she said with a soft smile. "For all we know, we could have all stood guard outside of Endymion and Serenity's room countless times… Who knows right?"

The girls all nodded in unison as they contemplated the very real implications of their previous life. Before any of them could speak any further, a bright glow radiated from under Usagi's apartment door. All the girls jumped up rather quickly as the growing white light continued to pulsate.

"What the hell is happening?" Makoto asked. "Do you think it's Diamond attacking?" she continued as she readied herself in a fighting stance.

Rei and Mina both shook their heads at the same time. It was something very different. The power was not evil, it felt light and airy, as it continued to radiate from under the door.

"I don't know what it is but it's not evil," Rei said softly still trying to understand the burst of light that continued to pour under the door.

Ami took a few steps forward, as she held onto her tiny Mercury computer and analysed the fluctuating energy. "It's rising in volume and intensity," she whispered as she continued to type away on the keyboard.

"The power is getting dangerously high," she said turning towards the others. "It's almost as though it's completely uncontrolled… I don't know what's generating it but if it continues to escalate there's no telling what might happen."

Mina nodded at the others and didn't think for a second before opening the front door. She was instantly met with a slight resistance as the power continued to flow effortless. She squinted to find the source of the power and determined that it was lying just beyond the couch.

Taking two steps forward she stopped abruptly wondering whether they should investigate further or retreat. The Power was intoxicating her as she could feel the earning laced into the great power pulsating from just beyond her reach. A part of her, didn't want to interrupt whatever might be happening but her feet had a mind of their own as they all approached the couch.

When she looked down, she was more than shocked to find the star crossed lovers in a passionate embrace. Usagi was straddling Mamoru, as he held on tightly to her passing his hand through her hair while the other rested comfortably on her backside.

"Usagi?" Ami whispered softly at the shock of seeing her friend in such a position and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Mamoru…?" Makoto noted as she tried to look away. "What are they doing…?" she asked rather

innocently trying with all of her might to peel her eyes away.

At the spoken words, Usagi's head shot up, and the great power that had been emanating from the two died completely. Usagi looked up at her friends with flushed cheeks and several strands of hair out of place. She sat back on her knees and tried to adjust her crooked pyjama top quickly.

Makoto and the others thanked the stars that both were still decently clad and they had simply walked in on a make out session.

"Um… hi?" Usagi blushed looking up at all of her friends. She had never anticipated that they would walk in on her and Mamoru. Her eyes fell to the man beneath her and couldn't help but smile. His raven hair was a complete mess, his cheeks were rosy and he was trying to regain his breath. She could also still feel his growing excitement for her as she straddled his lower region. She couldn't help but shift slightly to see him struggle just a little bit. Friends or no friends around them, she loved that he was so turned on and that she had done it to him.

Mamoru closed his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek. The little minx was purposefully shifting over him; he'd get her back for that later on. It was taking all of his will power, not to scream at her friends to get out of the room, and let them continue where they left off. His mind was still reeling from the vision he had just experienced and he wanted nothing more than to continue the intimate moment. He knew he was being selfish but he was a man after all, and he could only take so much. His breathing slowly calmed down and he reopened his eyes, still slightly frustrated at the interruption.

"Ever heard of knocking before entering?" he accused rather harshly.

"Oh believe me Mamoru… Knocking would have done nothing to separate the two of you," Mina said with a wink. "Do you have any idea the type of energy that you guys generated from your little make out session? That's why we barged in here. It's the only reason…" she stated honestly rocking back and forth on her heels.

"What do you mean energy?" he asked suddenly very curious about the type of reaction that occurred between the two of them. He sat up, as Usagi crawled off of him. At the lost contact, he felt oddly cold and wished her petite frame would be against his again. His brain reminded him that now was not the time to think about her body. _You need to focus on the situation at hand Mamoru,_ he told himself. He swung his legs back onto the ground and readjusted his pants quickly, praying to the gods that his overwhelming excitement towards Usagi was not nearly as visible as he thought it was.

Ami walked over to the couch and handed Mamoru the small computer she was holding, her cheeks burning red. "Here," she said softly, "take a look for yourself."

Mamoru looked down at the computer and watched the energy waves that had significantly increased. He absently passed a hand through his hair as he continued to read the data and wondered what it meant. Would the energy levels around him and Usagi always spike? Would he not be able to touch her without causing this type of reaction? Or was this only amplified due to the vision he had? He wondered whether Usagi had seen it too.

Looking over at her, he noticed her swollen lips and the pink tint still present in her cheeks. He also saw that she was watching his every move, and that she seemed uncertain about him in that moment. The look worried him. Did she not think that he truly loved her? Why was she looking at him that way? He let his hand travel towards her and laced his fingers through hers, giving her a reassuring smile. He didn't care if the others saw his affections towards his odango.

"Usa," he said softly. "Did you have a vision when we kissed?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to give too many details to the prying eyes around them. They didn't need to know that his mind had been temporarily taken over by, what he assumed, was an erotic memory from the the past.

Usagi looked at him and nodded. She was still trying to calm herself down from everything that had occurred in the past few minutes. They had been so wrapped up in their passion, that she wondered, how far they would have gone if there wouldn't have been an interruption. She hated that she wanted nothing more than to tell her friends to leave, and let her have her way with Mamoru. All she wanted to do was finish what they began and that wasn't her. She would never sleep with someone so quickly… but her body was telling her something very different.

She needed to calm herself down, she needed a distraction (or a cold shower).She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realize the girls and Mamoru were now having a conversation about the vision they experienced. It was only when she heard him talking about the interruption that she realized what was happening.

"And without giving too many details, that's what we were experiencing," he stated honestly. "So I wonder if because those feelings were amongst our own, it caused a ripple effect," he theorized.

Ami nodded in agreement. "It's definitely a working theory. Plus, if you guys had just admitted your feelings for each other everything would be amplified tenfolds. I'll work on collecting more data and trying to determine what's going on. I'll also examine the black crystal that was left behind," she said as her eyes roamed the room for it.

Rei pointed to the overturned glass on the ground. "It's there Ami. We'll have to transport it carefully, it drains energy and it's quite the feisty little bastard," she said in disgust and explained how it had attacked Mamoru, and started to discuss Diamond at length.

* * *

Diamond sat in his throne room, with his signature glass of red wine observing a projection of Usagi's apartment being broadcast from the Dark Crystal which now lay on the ground. He cursed that the shard had not taken out the meddling Prince. He was stronger than he thought and made a mental note to increase the strength of his attacks concerning him.

He ground his teeth together as he listened to every single word being spoken between Usagi and Mamoru, as they admitted their deep rooted feelings for one another. Even in this lifetime they had somehow found each other and they were still drawn to one another. It aggravated him to no end.

He needed to break their bond and claim Serenity as his own but he still wasn't sure how to do it. Diamond knew that his true mission was not to capture the elusive Princess but to steal the crystal but his heart wasn't in it. He just wanted her. He didn't care about the crystal. He had power of his own, and if she was by his side, they would be invincible. It was that simple but he'd have to convince the others of his plan.

The White Prince took a sip of his wine as he contemplated how to ensure that Serenity became his and how he would kill Endymion once and for all. His thoughts grew darker as he saw Endymion wrap his arms around _his_ princess and they locked into a passionate embrace. Diamond ground his teeth together one more and let out an enraged growl, at the sight. He threw his glass of wine against the wall and stood up pacing.

 _He_ was supposed to be taking _his_ prize.

 _He was supposed_ to be feeling his lips against hers - not HIM.

 _She would see reason,_ he thought to himself as he paced. There would be no other choice. He would take her by force and make her his Queen. Those cerulean eyes would only look to him especially once Endymion would be killed.

Redirecting his attention on the projection, he watched their energies meld into one and he couldn't help the jealousy that coursed through his veins. That blasted Prince was experiencing everything that _he_ was supposed to be getting and at this rate, if their energies fluctuate any higher the curse would break.

"Enjoy her for now Endymion," he growled as he saw Endymion slipping his hands below her shirt.

His anger was short lived as the couple was interrupted. He let out a maniacal laugh as he saw the shock on the Prince's face when his little temptress pulled herself away from him. He could see the disappointment etched across his face and he reveled in it. He hoped to see that look plastered on his face again when he took everything away from the Prince, and most importantly took Serenity in front of him.

* * *

Hours later the Senshi found themselves lounging on Usagi's couch with Mamoru and a sleeping Usagi cuddled up next to him. The group had sat together for quite sometime discussing all of the events and the implications of everything. It was decided that Usagi would temporarily move out of her apartment and into Rei's temple to ensure maximum security.

The protections offered at the temple would hopefully ward off any evil from clawing it's way to Usagi. They also agreed that Usagi would now be under watch 24/7 in hopes to prevent Diamond from attacking her. They couldn't lose their leader or run the chance of having her hurt, kidnapped or worse, if she truly was the princess.

They also agreed to plan a meeting with Mamoru's guard in order to coordinate all of their planning and transfer of knowledge. There would be no more secrets between both groups. Mamoru took the opportunity to further explain who the Kings were and none of the girls were shocked by their identities. It only made sense that Mamoru's closest friends would also be his protectors. The same applied for the Senshi.

That being said Ami and Rei got drilled by Makoto and Mina, on whether they were aware of Zoisite and Jadeite's real identities. It was discovered that they had known for a couple of months and a full blown discussion erupted over that subject.

Mamoru simply sat back, listening to the bickering girls, watching his princess sleep on his lap.

* * *

"So that's their plan… They'll hide Serenity at the Temple," Diamond said out loud after listening to the Senshi discuss everything for hours. He now knew all their civilian identities, the Prince's guard… he knew everything. His eyes lit up at the prospect of always being one step ahead of the Senshi. As long as they housed the Dark crystal shard in their meeting room; they would always know what to anticipate.

While it was a shame that the Dark Crystals power was no longer coursing through Serenity's veins and collecting her energy; this was almost better. He leaned his head back on his chair and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply at the thought that the eventual capture of his Princess would be even easier.

 _Who knew that watching others could be so fun and informative,_ he thought to himself.

What Diamond didn't know was that he was also being watched by Rubeus who was concealed by the curtains at the entrance of the room. Rubeus watched the erratic behaviour that his Prince was displaying and shook his head in aggravation as he realized that the Prince was going to destroy all of their progress again. He slipped out of the room unnoticed by Diamond and walked towards his chambers.

"Rubeus…"

Startled at the sound of his name, Rubeus turned on his heels, only to come face to face with Wiseman, as he floated towards him.

"What do you want? I don't report to you Wiseman… I only report to Prince Diamond," he spat out as he started walking away.

"Rubeus, you and I both know that Diamond is out of control. His visit to the Princess only helped break part of the seal on her memories. If he continues to meddle or taunt her, she will regain her memories along with the Silver Crystal and destroy us all. You need to stop him."

Rubeus stopped walking when he heard the reason in Wiseman's voice. He turned back to face him and tilted his head, "You're right. It was reckless for him to pay a visit to the dear princess but he can't help it. He's got some sort of deep rooted fascination, no, _obsession_ with her."

"It needs to stop," he responded.

"Then you tell him," Rubeus said crossing his arms. "He won't listen to my reasoning. I've told him in this lifetime and the previous one, that no good would come from him chasing after the Princess. She's well protected and she's far too powerful to meddle with."

"I agree... then don't you think that it would be best if she was disposed of?"

Rubeus lifted an eyebrow at the suggestion. Several times he had thought about killing the Moon goddess and now Wiseman was implying that this was a good plan. Why?

"You seem confused by my thoughts. Is it not better to have the Moon Princess dead rather than living? Is it not better to squash her when she is at her weakest and does not have the crystal to help her?" Wiseman continued.

Rubeus arched an eyebrow at the ghost before him. What was he up to? Why did he want the Moon Princess dead? Narrowing his eyes he vocalized his one true worry about killing her. "But… if we kill her the Silver Crystal will be lost. Don't we need the crystal to fully take over this planet?"

"Don't you understand Rubeus? If the Princess dies, so does her power. There is no other heir to the throne. The royalty of the Moon dies with her and the Silver Crystal as well. We'd finally be rid of the Lunar legacy once and for all."

"Destroy the Lunar legacy," Rubeus said out loud and uncrossed his arms. He had a point and it was enough to convince him to complete the deed. Killing her was already part of his plan, and the extra reasoning from Wiseman was exactly what he needed.

"Diamond can never know we're planning any of this. He'll never agree to her destruction."

"Precisely," Wiseman agreed. "You take care of murdering the Moon Rabbit and I'll try to manage

Diamond's obsession."

Rubeus nodded with renewed vigour to destroy the pesky Princess and walked away in search of the Ayakashi Sisters. They would plan out specialized attacks to disarm the Senshi one by one and then take away what they cherished most: Sailor Moon.

* * *

Tired from their lengthy discussions, the girls started to excuse themselves one by one as it was late in the evening. Eventually, only Rei, Mamoru and Usagi remained. Rei stood up brushing her pants and looked over at the newly formed couple.

She smiled at Mamoru as he looked down at Usagi and readjusted his arm around her. They both looked at peace and she hated to bother them but Usagi had to start packing her things for the next few days.

"You know," Rei said tilting her head at the couple. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much in one day Mamoru. I'm happy that you've both finally come to your senses and accepted each other in your lives."

Mamoru looked up at Rei and nodded. "Better late than never right?" he admitted.

Usagi shifted in his lap at the sound of his voice and opened her eyes. "Is everyone gone?" she asked sleepily as she stretched her arms and accidently smacked Mamoru across the face. "Sorry…" she said blushing.

"Somethings never change Usa," he said with a low chuckle, taking the offending hand and kissing it lightly. "It wouldn't be you, if you didn't injure me, at least twice per day," he chided.

"Heyyy. That's not fair," she said playfully hitting him in the chest. "I don't do it on purpose," she said pouting. "You know I can't help it," she said sitting up from his lap and crossing her arms.

Mamoru just smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose. "I know you don't, that's what's entertaining about it!" he said with mirth filled eyes. "Anyway, we probably shouldn't bore poor Rei with our little antics," he said pointing to Rei.

"No, no, don't stop on my account. God knows you guys have been waiting for years to be this sickeningly cute together. You're giving Jadeite and I, a run for our money," she said with a laugh. "I'll let you two be," she said grabbing her purse from the couch. "Mamoru, you know where the temple is so just bring her when you guys have had your fill of each other," she said with a wink.

Mamoru said under his breath, "I don't know if that'll ever happen," which elicited a giggle from Usagi.

Rei simply shook her head while her smile grew. "Just make sure to show up tonight or else I will come barging in to make sure nothing evil happened, ok?" she said seriously and headed for the door.

"Aie Aie captain! I'll make sure to get her safely to the temple before the end of the evening," he said saluting her. He caught himself in the action and wondered why he was being so playful. He was usually so rigid in his interactions with people but now he felt almost drunk. He waved off the feeling, as an aftermath of being happy for once in his life and watched Rei let out a laugh as she closed the door. He turned his attention back to Usagi as she stared at him playing with her long locks unsure what to do next.

"So…" he said softly.

Usagi looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled. "I guess we should start packing my stuff right? That would be the responsible thing to do seeing that it's already," she looked down at her phone on the coffee table, "10pm… wow," she said slightly shocked.

"That would be responsible," he admitted as he wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him. "The question is… should we be responsible or not?"

Her cheeks burned as his cobalt eyes pierced through her own. She knew that if she started anything with him right now, that she wouldn't be able to stop herself. The vision was still playing heavily on her mind and she wanted nothing more than to explore his body.

 _To hell with it,_ she thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself into his chest.

She brought her lips inches to his and whispered, "I want nothing more than to be irresponsible… believe me," she said softly. "But you and I both know we can't control ourselves right now… I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize what we are just starting to have."

Mamoru let his forehead lean on hers as he sighed. She was right. They couldn't do anything. He'd never be able to stop himself and if they went too far, or if he made her uncomfortable, he'd never forgive himself. "You're right Usako," he whispered back, as he let his hands travel up and down her back.

She let out a small sigh at the feel of his hands on her back. "Maybe, just one kiss?" she murmured as she let her lips find his. She let her tongue penetrate his mouth as she enjoyed the feeling of being joined to him in such a way. He responded quickly and with emergency, as his hands made their way to the side of her face.

After a few moments, he broke the flaming kiss and looked into her lust filled eyes.

" _We can't… Sere," he said softly._

" _I know we can't Endy… they're not ready," she agreed._

Mamoru blinked rapidly feeling as though he lost a few seconds of his life. When had they broken the kiss? Why was Usagi looking as equally confused as him? He hadn't meant to break the kiss… did he?

"I should pack," Usagi sighed. "But mark my words Chiba," she said with a smirk. "We will resume this…" she said lifting herself off the couch and giving him a wink. With that she bounced away into her bedroom to start packing leaving Mamoru to his confused thoughts on the couch.

Two hours later Usagi found herself comfortably sleeping in the Temple. While she typically had trouble falling asleep, given the day's events, and the enchantments of the Temple, she felt completely safe to doze off. She easily slipped into a peaceful dreamless sleep for a couple of hours until her mind started to reel.

* * *

 _Usagi walked down a white marbled corridor, hearing only her heels clicking away on the tile with every step that she took. She looked from side to side easily recognizing the Moon Kingdom Palace, which she had grown accustomed to in her dreams. She came to the end of the hallway where she was faced with two intricately carved large wooden doors._

 _She passed her hand over the moon carvings etched in front of her and examined the others as well. The door was blessed with the different phases of the moon along with the complete solar system. The doors were absolutely magnificent in their rich chestnut wood._

 _After having observed the doors for a few moments, she pressed her ear against them to hear if there was anyone in the room beyond. Hearing nothing, she pushed opened one of the doors, revealing the Chamber of Prayers. The room was adorned with white and silver marbled flooring leading up to the magnificent Crystal Tower that stood proudly in the middle of the room._

 _Usagi walked in complete awe taking in the grandness of the room. The walls were covered in past and present Moon royalty and jewels were lined behind glass cases against the wall. In addition, there were several plush velvety white benches that lined the back of the room. On one of the benches she saw a lone figure sitting with her back against her._

 _She felt unnaturally drawn to the figure and continued walking towards the girl and stopped only a few feet away from her. She observed the girl sitting before her. She had long silver tresses that hit the floor in small pools and her hair was tied into two little buns that sat on the side of her head._

 _Usagi took a deep breath knowing fully well that the Princess was before her. She willed herself to speak, she had so many questions, especially after the events today._

" _Excuse me Princess?" her soft voice came out and reverberated in the empty room._

 _The Princess before her turned around as her clear blue eyes shone brightly in the moonlight. Usagi was completely captured by the pale eyes staring back at her and the tears pooling in them. She was staring at herself yet this girl seemed more sophisticated, more put together, more Princess-like. She stood up to face Usagi._

 _Usagi held back a small gasp as she realized the Princess was clutching her bleeding chest. Blood was dripping down the front of her crisp white dress and staining the floor beneath her._

" _Princess," she exclaimed. "What happened? How can I help?" she asked moving to help the frail_

 _girl before her, who had sunk back down into a sitting position. Usagi kneeled before her and grabbed at her own white dress, ripping off layers of material to place on the Princess' bleeding heart._

 _The Princess looked down at her and smiled. "Always so caring" she said softly as Usagi tried to tend to her. "You don't even notice that you're just as hurt…" she commented pointing to Usagi's own blood stained dress._

 _Usagi looked down at herself and realized that she had also been stabbed. 'When did that happen?' she asked herself. As the realization sunk in, the pain started to course through her and she clutched her own chest. "Why is this happening?" she choked out. "What's the meaning of all of this?" she asked as fear settled in._

" _Usagi… you need to remember," the Princess whispered to her. "You need to remember before he breaks you and takes you. The Silver Crystal cannot help you unless you awaken as the Princess… you need to find a way to break the curse. If you don't," she murmured. "You won't survive. You'll die… like I did."_

 _Usagi felt her head starting to droop as the heaviness of the injury weighed on her. She slowly lost her energy to stay kneeling and collapsed to her side, her head hitting the cold marble. Tears were flowing freely now mixing with the blood on the floor._

" _How can I break it?" she asked desperately as breaths became more difficult to take. "I'm not strong enough… I feel like he's already won," she admitted._

" _You need to believe in yourself and your abilities," the Princess whispered as her image started to fade before her. "Trust in those around you and trust in your Prince, Princess. It's the only way…"_

 _Usagi blinked slowly as the Princess spoke and before she could ask her any further questions, she was gone._

" _Wait… don't leave…"_

 _All that was left was Usagi bleeding to death on the floor. She tried to pick herself off the floor but her limbs were too numb. Shouting filled the large room as she saw her guardians running to her aid. Before she took her last breath she caught sight of her Prince looking distraught and running towards her._

 _The last words to past through her mind before she lost consciousness was the Princess' final words:_

" _Trust in those around you and trust in your Prince, Princess. It's the only way…"_


	11. Usagi's Struggles

**A/N:** Just wanted to say THANK YOU for the amazing feedback so far. And take a moment to personally thank Kasienda and chaoticwisdom for some great insight into this story. Your thoughts, in both the reviews and PM's, have shed some light for me on my story. In rereading the transition from CH 10 to CH 11, I completely agreed there was a missing link. As a result of your comments I decided to shift gears and add a new chapter 11 (focusing on Usagi's struggles). Originally I planned CH 13 to show Usagi's struggle but decided that it might be best to see the struggles early on instead of alluding to them.

Due to the change, Chapter 12 is now the old chapter 11 with a few additions. I think this partial rewrite will lead to a more convincing breakdown from Usagi. It just goes to show that I do take all of your comments to heart, and when possible I incorporate them into future chapters.

Hopefully, this little road bump will not deter you from the story but allow you to embrace it further.

Let me know your thoughts :)

* * *

Usagi sat in her beloved Crown Arcade with a partially melted milkshake waiting to be sipped. She played with the straw and twirled its delicious contents back and forth, deep in thought replaying the dream, from the night before, over and over again. Even though it was close to 3 pm she couldn't shake the unease that followed after the dream.

Under normal circumstances Usagi would not have been concerned about the dream but this one was different in tone and action. The Princess had spoken directly to her confirming all of her doubts. While Usagi was elated at the news she was more than worried about the physical pain she was still experiencing. The gash across her chest seemed to radiated pain every time she breathed. It was as though _she_ had been stabbed for real.

She remembered waking up to the very real sensation of being stabbed when she woke searing pain from the incision burned with every breath she inhaled and panic coursed through her body. It wasn't normal for someone to be experiencing such vivid dreams and feeling physical ramifications. She lay still as she tried to move her muscles and force herself out of bed to no avail. Every movement had sent a sharp pain throughout her body.

Closing her eyes she had willed herself to block the link with Mamoru. At the end of their evening and after much discussion, they realized they shared a link through their emotions. While it was a great feeling for their lust for one another, the last thing she wanted was for him to see her in such a state. She had expended so much energy blocking her feelings of worry in an attempt to pull herself together. They'd only been dating less than 24 hours and she didn't want him to think she couldn't handle a little dream.

As a result, it had taken her over half an hour to even move from her position. Seconds had turned into minutes as she slowly inched her body into a sitting position and then carefully climbed out of the bed. She had found that once she was on her two feet the pain seemed to dull slightly. She had taken a few deep breaths, held her head high and then stepped out calmly into the hallway of the temple to find the nearest washroom.

Once there she had locked the door behind her and slowly undressed wincing in pain as she removed her shirt. She viewed herself in the mirror and noticed a faint red marking in the middle of her chest below her breast. Touching it she had let out a yelp as the skin was hot and burned. She had stared at herself for minutes contemplating how she could have a physical marking as a result of a dream. After moments of contemplation, she landed on no rational explanation other than the Princess was trying to break free from her.

'How could this be happening?' she thought to herself as she interrupted her own recollection of the dream and continued to twirl her straw in the milkshake.

She placed her small hand over the offending mark under her light pink sweater and exhaled sharply. It still hurt. How could she explain that? How was it that hours after waking up it still hurt?

Placing her hand down on the table she played with the napkin and absently bit her bottom lip. What happened if from now on, until she remembered, she would wake up injured? Would she constantly be fighting herself?

A chill went down her spine at the realization that it might be very true. Was she strong enough to fight an attack like this? Could she stop the dreams? What was the purpose of all of this happening? The real question she realized was actually whether she could ignore them to get through her daily life? For hours, she had been preoccupied with the ramifications of one dream. Would this thought process continue with every dream that passed by? She knew that she wouldn't be able to handle it, and resolved that at least for tonight she would avoid sleeping.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a soft voice whispered into her ear as she felt lips lovingly pressed against her temple. She turned her head to see Mamoru standing before her with the faintest smile as he settled in across from her. How had he found her, she wondered.

Even though he was uninvited Usagi couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. His dark ebony hair seemed to shine in contrast to the rainy day beyond the window beside him. He seemed relaxed, which was something new for him, and he seemed happy. Genuinely happy to see her, and to be there. A smile played on his lips as his dark cobalt eyes sparkled. She had never noticed how his eyes could look so lively. Her heart thrummed at the sight of him and she wanted nothing more than to have his arms wrapped around her but she didn't move. She didn't want to burden him just yet. If, prompted yes but until she was, she wouldn't say a word.

While Usagi was admiring all the perfections of Mamoru's happy demeanor, he was observing his rabbit's mood. He had noticed her pensively sitting in the window of the arcade and couldn't help but come and pay her a visit. She had been deep in thought for minutes as he walked up to her. He had even tried speaking to her but was met with no response. She seemed lost to a different world, deep in thought.

Even her physical appearance was off. Her skin seemed paler than normal missing the normal blush to her cheeks. Small bags were present under her blue eyes and her full lips were missing their usually teasing smile. Instead, melancholy was plastered across her face which was not a sight he was used to. Anger yes but not this… not sadness.

"Are you ok Usa?" he asked with a concerned hitch to his voice. The more he observed her, the more he realized she was off. She was even nervously playing with a napkin in-between her hands. He could feel the subtle change in the energy around him signaling that something was wrong. There was a stark contrast with the girl he left behind last night and this girl.

Her eyes met his. "I'm fine Mamoru," she said softly with a small smile that never reached her eyes. "I just had a dream last night that was a little too realistic for comfort," she admitted.

Mamoru cocked an eyebrow at her admission and asked her gently to explain the dream. Without hesitation, the troubled girl explained everything in detail as Mamoru processed the information. At the end of her explanation, he watched Usagi carefully to see where her anxiety was stemming from. Everything she explained to him was good news. She was the Princess. She was told to trust in her loved ones and everything would be revealed in due time. What could be sending the poor girl into an emotional tailspin?

"We should be thrilled that everything is coming to light," he stated cautiously. "This dream all but serves as confirmation that all of our theories are right. She told you, you were the Princess," he continued but his smile faltered as he realized that she seemed to be fighting tears. What was he missing? he thought to himself as he got up from his side of the booth and scooted beside her.

He wrapped an arm around her small frame and cupped her face with the other. "Usa," he whispered inches from her face as he watched several emotions flicker across her watery eyes. "What are you not telling me about the dream? I can tell that whatever happened shook you to the core," he admit as he thumbed a stray tear from rolling down her cheek. It killed him to see her like this. What had been so horrible about the dream? Yes, she explained that she was stabbed, but it didn't warrant this type of reaction. _It was just a dream_.

"It's just that…" she started hesitantly. Would he think she was crazy if she told him there was a physical ramification from the dream? That she had a feeling of dread from it? That she hadn't felt like herself since this morning? Her doubts weighed heavily on her but when she looked into his concerned eyes, all fear slipped away. She realized she needed to be honest with him and tell him exactly what occurred and how she was feeling. There was no point in hiding anything from him. He was hers and she was his. If they couldn't share things together than what was the point of being together.

"I woke up feeling like I had been stabbed," she whispered softly. "Not just your typical, 'I woke up in a panic and I was still half asleep' type of way. It's worse than that… I woke up with a red mark under my breast. It's the size of a sword blade and it hurts so much," she admitted lowering her eyes from him; ashamed at the confession that she was so weak.

Mamoru's playful jovial demeanor came crashing down at the heartfelt admission. "Usagi are you ok?" he asked with deep concern as he loosened his arm from around her shoulder and looked at her chest. His hand instinctively went to the wounded area and he pressed gently to see if he could feel the wound.

Usagi flinched at his touch and backed away from him hitting the window. His touch had reawakened the dull pain and it was now searing against her clothes. "Please don't do that… how is it that I can feel such pain from a dream and I've been awake for hours?" she questioned. "That's why I'm freaked out. I shouldn't feel like I was assaulted. It was just a dream," she rambled.

Mamoru stared at the frightened girl before him and shook his head. It wasn't normal for her to be experiencing physical pain from something like this, and it angered him that she was being abused. Who was making this so difficult for them? They had been so happy last night. Why was there such a shift? The girl before him was terrified of something immaterial when she should be focusing on happier thoughts, like their new found romance. It angered him that the gods seemed to mock their happiness.

"We'll figure this out Usa," he said with certainty. "We have to. Maybe it was only an anomaly and it won't happen again. Are you sure you didn't hit yourself during the night?" he asked cautiously.

Usagi shook her head. "I know I'm a klutz, but I swear to god I didn't do anything Mamoru. I woke up in such pain. It took me half an hour to move this morning because I couldn't catch my breath or ease the pain enough to even sit up," she admitted.

Mamoru listened and nodded. There was only one thing that he could do to help. "Usagi, I think I can help," he said shifting out of the booth and stretching out his hand towards her. "We're not going to stand by idly as these dreams take you over. I can heal you and then we can figure out the rest," he said motioning for her to take a hold of his hand.

Usagi looked up into his eyes and saw the determination burning. 'Trust in those around you and trust in your Prince, Princess. It's the only way…' she thought to herself as she took his hand. There was some truth to the mantra and at this point there was no use in moping around by herself. Perhaps the dream was only a fluke and maybe she wouldn't have any others. She let herself be taken into his arms and enjoyed the feeling of having his body pressed against hers.

That afternoon she allowed him to bring her back to his apartment to heal the wound inflicted from the dream. Mamoru had been successful in dimming the pain with the golden crystal leaving her feeling rather refreshed. For the rest of the day they spent time talking, lounging around and just enjoying each other's company. She had been grateful for his help even though by the end of the day the pain had returned. She didn't have the heart to tell him that it was only a temporary fix. What more could he do to help her? He was already doing so much and with that she vowed not to tell him the extent of the damage inflicted on her.

* * *

In the following days, Usagi had become a walking zombie. She could no longer bring herself to fall asleep due to tumultuous dreams plaguing her mind. The dreams always ended with her own violent death. On occasion, it was Beryl placing a sword through her back, then herself or worse her Prince. Nothing made sense and, as a result, she vowed not to willingly fall asleep. For hours on end, she would stay seated in her bedroom waiting for the sun to rise. Even though she tried to avoid sleep, the fatigue always overwhelmed her allowing the dreams to haunt her.

If that wasn't disturbing enough she had started to have blackouts and visions during her waking hours. While she was panicked about the attack on her mind, Ami reinforced that it was a good sign meaning that her memories were slowly being unlocked. The only drawback was that she couldn't control when they would occur. Often she would lose entire moments of her life as the past memories replayed themselves.

The only saving grace about the visions was their pleasant qualities. Often times she was witnessing Serenity and Endymion meeting each other for the first time or attending a secret rendezvous or even spending time with her Senshi. It was just their frequency and timing that were disturbing. Often times she would end up standing in a store not remembering how she got there or she would faint on the sidewalk. The most disturbing thing about them was their unpredictable nature.

The latest fainting spell had been a prime example that it was taking a toll on her. She had been crossing a busy intersection when everything warped in front of her and she found herself standing in the prayer room in the Silver Millennium. Queen Serenity stood before her urging her to get a control over her memories and dreams. She advised her that having the uncontrolled visions, memories, and dreams was letting them win. She remembered asking who _they_ were, but the vision was violently shaken from her, as she felt someone tapping her face.

"Miss, Miss," an elderly man asked in concern as he kneeled beside her. She slowly lifted her head and saw that a small crowd had gathered in the middle of the street as she lay there inches from a car. She propped herself up on her elbows and put a hand to her forehead. The man helped her into a sitting position.

"I-I'm sorry," she stated apologetically.

His kind eyes washed over her. "No need to be sorry Miss. Is there someone we can call to help you? Are you alright?"

Usagi shook away the cobwebs from her mind and tried to focus on the scene before her. She needed to get out of here. Putting on her bravest face, she smiled reassuringly at the man and stood up on shaky legs.

"I'm fine… I just need to get home," she admitted as she tried to push down the mounting panic coursing through her veins. All her brain kept on repeating was that she had fainted in the middle of an intersection and she could have been killed. It now seemed that it wasn't even safe for her to walk around by herself anymore. She had just wanted some time to reflect upon everything without having concerned eyes trailing her every move. Instead, here she was in a crowd of strangers being pitied. It was the last thing she needed.

Without saying another word or thanking her kind savior, she ran through the crowd as her mind swam. She needed to get away from everyone. She needed to be alone and think through everything that was happening to her. What had Queen Serenity meant by letting them win? Had that been a vision OR a warning about her dreams and visions?

Looking at the crossroads, she realized that she was close to her apartment and ran as fast as her weakened legs would carry her. Her vision blurred in and out, as she fought the mounting fatigue and lack of energy, but she fought through it. The prize was making it to her apartment and then she would allow herself to fall apart.

Within minutes, she was slamming the door behind her and was relieved to be back within her own personal space. While it was great to be staying at the temple, she truly missed her personal space especially given the circumstances. She walked over to her couch and plopped down on it exhausted. After a few moments she curled into a ball on her side.

Taking a few deep breaths, she blocked off her connection with Mamoru before letting her emotional breakdown happen. She didn't want Mamoru worrying right now or come to her rescue. She needed him to stay away and let her live through the heartache that she was feeling.

She already felt unworthy of Mamoru's love and affection, so to subject him to another breakdown, felt unnecessary. Usagi had done everything in her power to trust in him and her friends, but she felt that she couldn't trust herself. Everyone was gaining hope while she was crumbling. Everyone saw the positive side of the dreams and memories, while Usagi could only focus on the negative. If someone would have asked her, she would have told them she hated everything about her situation. To have her own body and mind attacking her was hell on earth.

She closed her eyes momentarily, as tears slipped, and she tried to gather herself. Her brain kept on telling her that she was the problem, she needed to remember, she needed to be a better fighter, she needed to be less emotional, and that she was doing this to herself. There was only one person harming her and it was her. There was no other explanation. The dreams were clear in telling her that she needed to remember. That if she did, things would be better. Instead, she was a powerless mouse stuck in the lion's den who couldn't accept her fate.

She shifted on the couch to readjust herself and winced as an all too familiar pain shot through her chest. Even though days had passed since the first healing from her dreams. She didn't have the heart to tell Mamoru that the healing only provided a small respite from the true pain that was building. The wounds that littered her abdomen and chest now burned with every breath that she took. She couldn't complain, though. There was no point. Nothing worked. The healing would only give her a small break from her physical and emotional trauma.

What everyone didn't realize, was that being constantly reminded she was missing memories, hurt her more than the physical pain she was enduring. Everyone was so interested in unleashing the hidden Princess that no one paid attention to Usagi anymore. The terrified girl that stood before her friends, her lover, and his guardians, was completely unseen.

To Usagi, it seemed that she was no longer enough for her friends and it was something that played heavily on her psyche. Every time she met with her friends they never greeted her. Instead, they questioned whether she had unlocked some memory from the past or whether her dreams had spoken to her once more.

The constant questioning of whether her memories were unlocked was taking its toll on her. She had become weary of meeting with her friends due to the constant barrage of questions. Yes, she was happy they cared enough to wonder what was happening to her but Usagi felt like she was losing herself. Who was Usagi at this point? Did any of them care anymore? Was the Princess the only one they wanted? Is that who Mamoru wanted?

No one asked how she was feeling in this mess. If someone would have taken the opportunity she would have told them she was terrified. The whole experience was changing her and she was holding on by a string to her sanity. To think that only days ago being Usagi was enough for her friends… now it just didn't seem that way. It was always:

Have you had a dream about the Princess?

What did she say?

Are you physically hurt again?

Does Mamoru need to heal the wound?

Any news on anything?

What was the Princess like?

Are you getting closer to unlocking your memories?

Has she given you any new information?

Have you had any visions?

Is your appearance changing?

Do you feel different?

All the questions were too much for her to handle. The despair and isolation that she felt were finally coming to a helm as she sat in her empty apartment. She had been able to evade her Senshi's watchful eyes for a few moments and escape them. Now if she could only find a way to escape herself. Instead, she just lay on her couch curled into a ball softly crying into a pillow thinking about everything that was happening to her.

Her biggest fear that played over and over again was: when would she disappear. It seemed that everything that was happening to her pointed to the fact that when her memories would return, Usagi would cease to exist. It almost seemed like everyone anticipated or wanted it to happen. She felt like she was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode at the seams. One small move and her entire life would be lost to her.

Questions upon questions plagued her as she wondered whether she would remember Usagi when the Princess unveiled herself. Would she even be her? If she was honest with herself, she didn't even know who she was anymore. She knew that she wasn't supposed to be this scared little girl, fearing her dreams, avoiding her friends and seeing no joy in life. This was simply not Usagi Tsukino. What she was these days was just a shell of her former self. She had let the dreams overtake her, but she didn't know how to stop them.

Her appetite was lost, she only ate for social pretenses. Food was something that Usagi normally treasured as one of her favourite activities. Now everything including eating seemed futile in light of all the recent tortures that were put on her mind and body. Even when she tried to eat she felt nauseous, like her body was rejecting the much-needed nourishment.

In a week, she had noticed her body weight decrease but prayed that no one else did. There were no hunger pangs, no will to eat, no will to do anything but hide from the dreams and the Princess. All she wished for was for everything to go back to normal. She needed it to go back to normal or else she would end up dying. It was as though an external force was driving her to the radical actions.

'Was that the plan?' she thought bitterly as she rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling through watery lashes. 'Maybe that's exactly the purpose of all of this. To have me destroy myself.'

It would make sense for the enemy to toy with her emotions. After all, she was known to be an emotional mess on a good day, so to play with her self-worth would be pure genius. She held back another sob at the thought that she was disappearing.

Who would she be after everything was said and done? Would she be more Serenity than Usagi or vice versa? And worse, what happened if even when she awakened fully as Serenity, that her friends and Mamoru, were disappointed? That she wasn't the woman they wanted her to be.

She already knew that Usagi was definitely not the girl they wanted. They were waiting for the Princess to come forward for them to protect and serve. They didn't need this silly, clumsy, lifeless girl that was preventing the Princess from appearing. Did Mamoru even need her like this? Was he just with Usagi waiting for Serenity to appear? No, she told herself. He loved her for her… right?

He was the one ray of sunshine in all of this. He kept her morale up and made her believe that everything would be ok. His advances and caring touches drove her to stay afloat and hope for better days. A bittersweet smile spread across her tear stained face as she thought of her unlikely savior. Mamoru was keeping her sane, who would have thought.

While she knew he loved her, for her, there was still a doubt that he wanted the Princess more. What would happen if the Princess didn't awaken? What would happen if she didn't live up to his expectations? Would he just discard her? Could she live without Mamoru by her side?

At the thought of a life without Mamoru, another sob escaped her lips. In six days, they had become so close and she feared life without him. He was her rock and the other half of her heart. Without him, she would be nothing. Maybe, losing herself to Serenity wouldn't be so bad, if it meant keeping him, she thought sullenly.

The fatigue and lack of energy she was feeling only seemed to increase her insecurities ten folds. Her thoughts were no longer rationale as she lay on the couch thinking of everything that could go wrong instead of everything that could go right. With those thoughts in mind, she spent the rest of the afternoon crying and evaluating her self-worth until she ran out of tears.

It was only at the sound of her communicator ringing that she moved from her pity couch. She picked up her bag and took out the communicator. Another low-grade youma attack was happening and she was needed. This was the 7th attack in 6 days and she was tired. Every time she fought these days she seemed to be worse. Her aim was off, her physical strength was down and her speed was significantly reduced. It seemed that she was more of a sitting duck than any help.

Reluctantly, she removed herself from the couch and transformed into her alter ego: Sailor Moon. The power that she once felt coursing through her veins at the transformation was gone. She simply felt disconnected from all motions. She took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. 'You can do this Usagi,' she told herself. 'You're Sailor Moon. You're still just as powerful… just push down everything you've been feeling and take it out on the youma's.' With that in mind, she opened her balcony door and made haste to the battle.


	12. Haunting Dreams

**A/N:** For anyone who previously read CH 11 please read CH 11 before reading this one. I added an extra chapter on December 7, 2015, and rewrote certain parts of this one. Please see the author's note of CH 11. Thanks, everyone!

* * *

 _Usagi stood before the floor length mirror in her bedroom observing herself. She had a towel carefully wrapped around her petite frame with her silver blonde hair pooling over her shoulders. A small crescent moon graced the middle of her forehead, with her brow crinkling ever so slightly as she carefully took tangled sections of her hair and attempted to brush through them._

 _Sighing in exasperation, at the large feat before her, she placed the brush down on a nearby dresser. There was simply no point in brushing her hair it would be tangled before the end of the night anyways._

 _Deep in thought, she placed a small hand to her face and gently pushed some strands behind her ear, watching herself carefully as she did so._

" _Why won't you remember?" she asked the reflection staring back at her._

" _Why won't you just let your memories come flooding back? Why can't you just make it happen Usagi? Are you too weak? Is that what it is?" she taunted herself with the many questions. Her eyes glazed over at her own taunts and she fought back the tears. There had to be a reason that her mind was forbidding her from remembering. It simply did not make any sense that she could not remember._

" _Remember…" she whispered to herself. But still nothing happened. Her reflection just stared back at her, taunting her every move, lips unmoving and memory completely frozen. She knew she needed to unlock her memories. Without them she would never be able to summon the Silver Crystal and she would never be complete. She would remain this blubbering mess until the memories were unlocked._

 _Staring at her reflection, she felt like she was being mocked. Exasperated the young woman let out a strangled cry, "Just remember!" she screamed as her fist connected with the mirror._

" _Just remember…" she repeated again as tears rolled down her face and blood oozed from her injured fist. "Remember," she choked out one last time completely discouraged as she leaned heavily on the broken frame of the mirror, violent sobs taking over._

" _Tsk tsk tsk Princess," a raspy voice taunted from the shadows of her room. "It seems that my little curse has been much more powerful than I anticipated," the voice stated matter-of-factly. "I would have assumed, that once you and Endymion professed your love for each other, that it would have broken the curse. Who knew that I would indeed have the last laugh," the voice snickered._

 _Usagi turned around shocked at the voice tormenting her. "B-Beryl…? You're supposed to be dead," she whispered peering into her room for the offending woman. It took a moment before Usagi's water filled eyes found her somewhat camouflaged by her darkened curtains beside the balcony door._

 _The vile woman stepped forward as the girls eyes landed on her and a grin spread across her face. "But my dear Princess; I am dead. All of this is in your mind… I couldn't have asked for more. You're torturing yourself and doing an effective job at slowly killing yourself. At this rate, between the lack of sleep, lack of food you're eating and the energy you're expending, I presume you'll be dead in days," she chuckled. "Too bad Princey-poo hasn't realized that his little annoying Princess is dying before his own eyes. The worry alone will kill you… and if that doesn't the shackles that I've put on your brain shall," she uttered._

 _Usagi only stared in horror as Beryl explained her weaknesses over the past few days. She wanted to defend herself, but she couldn't. What she was saying was true. She wasn't eating, she wasn't sleeping properly, she was as good as dead. She was only going through the motions of life because she had to. It seemed that all she could think about was unlocking her memories and spending time with Mamoru._

" _You know I'm right Princess," Beryl continued. "What interests me is whether you have noticed that with each passing fight, your powers diminish. Without the Silver Crystal - you are nothing Serenity. Do you understand me? Nothing," she taunted. She took a few steps towards the emotionally distraught girl and pursed her lips. "The very thing that should protect you, will actually result in your ultimate demise. It's only a matter of time before you become powerless… There will come a time when all your powers will be stripped from you, and THAT's when the Black Moon will declare their victory," she said triumphantly._

 _Usagi glared at the woman, as she approached her, and balled her hands into fists. Rage coursed through her veins. How dare this woman mock her in her own apartment? How dare she tell her she was becoming weaker? How dare she block her memories? How dare she! she thought to herself as she let the anger boil over. She lunged at Beryl hoping that one of her fists would meet the woman's porcelain complexion. Instead, Usagi simply ran through Beryl as she disappeared into thin air. She cursed her infinitely as Beryl's mocking laugh filled the room._

" _Show yourself and fight me, Beryl," she screamed into the empty room. "Fight me!" she antagonized._

* * *

"Fight ME!" Usagi screamed as she bolted upright, in her borrowed bed at the Temple, looking around wildly for the red haired devil. Realizing where she was, and that it had all been a dream, she took shallow breaths to regain her composure. She must have fallen asleep after her trek from the youma battle to the temple.

Usagi always felt so weak and useless, and tonight's dream only amplified her sense of despair. As a result, she couldn't help the sob from escaping as she replayed the latest dream in her mind. She knew this dream had been different. Beryl had spoken to her, tormented her, told her she was killing herself, which was more insight than any other dream had given her. Was she really killing herself? Was she destined to die as a result of this supposed curse? The fear in the unknown answers mounted as she continued to replay Beryl's words.

A few more sobs escaped, as her fears increased as she replayed Beryl's words. No matter which way she looked at it, there was some truth hidden behind the words she had spoken. She passed a nervous hand through her hair as she tried to regain her composure. The more she tried the more she recognized that her chest was on fire and she was shaking uncontrollably with sweat beading down her forehead.

Throwing off her blankets, she stumbled out of her bed and crumpled into a mass on the floor holding her chest. She was having a panic attack and she couldn't control the sobs escaping her body. She felt like her whole world was out of control and that without her memories nothing felt right anymore. She couldn't go on living in this manner. Something needed to be done, but she didn't know what.

With a fleeting thought, Usagi contemplated that if she could just end her life, it would all be over. The dreams would disappear, the constant fear of being abducted would be gone, her friends and Prince would be safe, everything would just right itself. It would all be over so quickly. All she had to do was find the courage to end it all, but she couldn't. She couldn't bare the thought of failing so horribly and disappointing her loved ones.

No, Usagi Tsukino could not end her own life but it was definitely a daily thought with the amount of pressure she put on herself to remember which was only compounded by the others as well. They didn't know it, but they were contributing to her stress levels as well. The constant reminders that she or Mamoru should remember, it was all too much for her. And soon, if this continued, she might not be able to fight the dark thoughts clouding her judgment.

Usagi grabbed the edge of the bed and slowly pulled herself to her shaky feet and limbs. She took a deep breath which burned her insides and tried to control the despair permeating throughout her body. She wiped away the tears pouring down her face and dabbed her nose, only to realize that she was bleeding profusely. She let out a shocked gasp as she stumbled towards the light and flicked the switch to illuminate the room.

Looking down at her hand, she realized it was covered in blood. She frantically grabbed the box of kleenex by her bed and dabbed her nose trying to stop the bleeding. Her hands shook as she applied pressure and she cursed her life once more. She couldn't help but think that she must have done something horrible to the gods in her previous life to deserve everything that was being thrown her way.

She knew the Princess and the Prince had angered them by disrupting the balance between the two Kingdoms, but all of this seemed too much to handle. She cried quietly, as she changed the kleenex and shook her head. It all seemed so unfair and she didn't know how much more she could take of the psychological and physical attacks that were befalling her. Once again the thought of ending it all crept into her mind while she tried to focus on her breathing instead.

A few moments passed and thankfully her tears started to subside along with the nosebleed. She took the opportunity to grab some pajamas and leave the room to wash her face and freshen up. A fresh outfit and cleaned face would hopefully give her a new perspective on everything. Within 10 minutes she was back in her room, wearing a baby pink tank top and dark pink polka dotted shorts. She threw her dirty clothes into a laundry basket and made her way back to her bed.

"Are you ok?" a worried yet soothing voice called from the shoji as it moved quietly back into place.

Mamoru stepped towards Usagi wearing his dark jogging pants with a white v-neck t-shirt barely placed over his muscular chest. He was visibly shaken and out of breath from what appeared to have been a mad dash to make it to his distressed princess. "I… it felt like you were in trouble Usako," he said gently continuing to move towards her.

Usagi stood unmoving. She should have expected him. How did she not think that he would show up? Her knight in shining armor had been so attentive to her needs over the past few nights. Every time she woke up from one of her horrible nightmares, he would be there within minutes to comfort her.

She smiled at him, grateful to have him in her life. It was funny to think that only a week ago, they confessed their love for one another, yet so many things had happened in the interim.

Usagi let him come to her and fully accepted his powerful arms being wrapped around her small trembling body. She instinctively leaned her head against his chest, listening to his erratic heartbeat. She could tell that he was trying to regulate his breathing from both fear over the feelings that Usagi had and from his run to the temple.

Mamoru felt her melt into his arms and placed a small kiss on top of her head. "What happened in tonight's one?" he asked gently prompting her to share the dream, as he affectionately rubbed her back.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled into his chest. All she wanted was to focus on the strong arms around her which made her feel infinitely safer. "I'm just happy that you're here Mamo-chan," she said softly into his chest.

"Usa," he said looking down at her and lifting her chin to look at him. "You blocked me all day today… I couldn't feel you and then tonight you screamed for help after the dream. I could feel it... there was so much despair. It was almost like you were disappearing," he admitted as he kissed away a small tear falling down her cheek. "I felt like… you had given up hope," he said softly watching her tear filled eyes confirm his worse fears.

Over the past week, while they have been difficult for Mamoru, he knew that his Usako was suffering the most. She had barely slept, he could see that she was losing weight and that looming dark circles lived under her once vibrant eyes. He could feel her slipping away day by day and it scared him. Every time he saw her, she seemed to be more withdrawn. He needed to keep a closer eye on his Usako. He couldn't afford to have her lose hope which he feared was happening.

"You can't give up. We're going to figure everything out. You just have to trust in your Senshi that they'll be able to break the curse. I know that Mercury and Zoisite said they were close to breaking the block on our memories. Once they're able to remove it, things will get better," he urged.

"And what happens if they don't Mamoru?" she retorted without fight. "What happens then? Nothing makes sense right now… and I fear that even if I regain my memories that I won't be able to sustain the flood of them? It'll probably destroy me… ironic because I want them so badly."

"Honestly," he said moving a small piece of hair from her face. "It's not that bad. I've experienced a portion of it already, and while it is overwhelming… you oddly feel much lighter afterward. You'll feel relieved that you don't have a piece of you missing," he said kissing her forehead. "You'll be better once you have your memories. You'll feel complete again..."

Usagi simply shrugged in his arms unconvinced that her situation could be rectified. Mamoru felt the rising anguish once more.

"Usako please talk to me," he whispered into her ear.

She shook her head into his shoulder. What could she possibly tell him? That she thought that he didn't want her, Usagi and that he was simply waiting for Serenity to appear? That everything the Senshi and him were doing to encourage her to remember was hurting her? She couldn't put that burden on him. She wasn't ready to let him know the deep rooted fears that were present within her.

Mamoru let out an exasperated sigh feeling her shutdown. "Ok Usa… Let's discuss this in the morning ok?" he said softly. "It's only 4 am and I want you to get a little more sleep. It'll do you some good," he continued.

Usagi sighed. She knew that he was hurt from her lack of response, but there was no point in fighting him or asking further questions. As a result, she let him lead her to the bed. She lifted her eyes to meet his cobalt ones.

"Are you going to stay with me?" she whispered.

"Of course my love," he smiled back and climbed into the queen size bed first, patting it for her to join him. She slowly climbed into the bed and molded herself to his body, feeling completely safe. She only prayed that the dreams would stay at bay and that she would not experience any further nosebleeds for the night. She wrapped one of her legs between his and leaned her face into his chest.

"I don't know what I would do without you Mamo-chan," she admitted playing with the edge of his shirt.

The admission brought a smile to Mamoru's face realizing that she needed him just as much as he needed her. Whenever they were apart it felt like a piece of his heart was missing. In that moment, he resolved that starting tomorrow he would move Usagi into his apartment. Most nights he ended up at the temple anyway and he needed to make sure she stayed safe. Especially after the latest events tonight.

Even though she hadn't shared much about what happened, he had honestly thought he was on the brink of losing her. Her desperation had hit a new low, and it shook him to his core. The very real question of what she was capable of doing to herself had risen in his mind. What happened if she was pushed enough into one direction? Would she be able to pull the trigger? He asked himself. He could already feel that she already felt like a caged animal, trapped in her own mind, unable to control her emotions, dreams, thoughts, or consciousness. What would happen if she ever got to her breaking point and no one was there to stop her? It terrified him that she might do something rash in the moment, letting her fears overcome her and letting the darkness win. He squeezed her closer to him as the dark thoughts entered his mind.

"Believe me Usako," he finally replied. "It's me who would be lost without you," he stated solemnly, trying to push down his fears of losing her. He leaned down and kissed her gently, as his hands rested on her lower back. After a few tender moments, he reluctantly broke from the kiss and smiled at his Princess.

" _Don't worry Sere… We'll break you free soon enough."_

" _I hope so Endy… she's not strong. They're succeeding in breaking her down. The dreams are not all hers. Tonight's, in particular, was implanted to heighten the doubt she already has," she said softly._

Mamoru nodded at the words she spoke but didn't fully comprehend them as he was already drifting off to sleep. "We'll figure it out Usagi," he breathed as he closed his eyes listening to his sweet Usako's breathing as she let her exhaustion take her over.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Mamoru was jostled out of his peaceful sleep at the incessant sound of a beep echoing in the temple room. He listened to Usagi groan loudly at the offending noise and curled up closer to him as she fell back asleep. He couldn't help the chuckle from escaping his lips as Usagi ignored the communicator that was blaring from her nightstand. He reached his long arm over her and picked up the offending pink electronic, pressing the open button.

"Yes," he stated rather amused as he saw Mercury looking back at him.

Ami's jaw automatically dropped at the sight of him answering Usagi's communicator and her mind immediately went to the worse case scenario. Her cheeks flushed at the realization that perhaps she had interrupted Usagi and Mamoru, in a precarious situation. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were sleepy or lustful, she couldn't tell, and she also couldn't see if he was fully clothed.

 _Does he have a shirt on? Oh, gods, he doesn't… does he?_ she thought to herself as she squinted to focus on Mamoru's appearance in the darkened room.

"MMmhhhh" Usagi moaned slightly as she shifted closer to Mamoru. "Turn off the light Mamo-chan. It's too early," she mumbled.

Ami flushed an even darker shade of red as she realized that Usagi was so close to Mamoru. She had definitely interrupted something.

"I'm… I… I'm so sorry to interrupt," Ami blurted out trying to avoid all eye contact with him.

"It's ok Ami," Mamoru smiled. "You're not interrupting anything. We were just sleeping. Usa had another episode last night and I came to comfort her," he admitted. "Nothing else happened… not that I have to justify if it did," he said with a wink.

"Of course, of course," Ami said quickly the embarrassment flooding through her. She attempted to regain her composure. There was a purpose to her call and she wanted to make sure that she was heard. "I was just calling to let you know that I've been working day and night on trying to figure out how to unlock your memories and I think I have. I've also figured out something extremely important about the Dark Crystal Shard," she pressed on. "I'd like to meet everyone at 10 am at the Temple to discuss exactly what's happening. Can you please let the Kings know that they should attend as well?"

Mamoru's whole body tensed at the prospect that Ami had been able to unlock the mystery. "Ami, you're a genius," he exclaimed in pure ecstasy. "If there was ever anyone that could figure it out, it was definitely you," he said smiling back at the blue-haired girl. "We'll definitely be ready for 10 am and I'll let the guys know to head over. Thank you so much, Ami," he said smiling.

"It's not a problem Prince End…"

"Please, Ami… it's just Mamoru. You've known me for years and I refuse to have you address me in such a formal manner."

"Sorry… of course Mamoru. We'll talk more later," she said brightly and ended the communication.

Mamoru placed the communicator back on the night table and looked down at his sleeping beauty. "Usa," he said softly as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Usa," he continued and placed another kiss on her cheek, then several along her jawline. "Wakey, wakey," he purred in her ear as she began to stir again mumbling about how much she liked his wake up calls.

He let a chuckle escape and placed featherlight kisses on her lips. She let out a small giggle, "that tickles Mamoru," she said biting down on her lower lip and opening her sleepy eyes.

Mamoru couldn't help the smile from spreading across his face and swooped down once more placing a light kiss along her jaw and then resting ever so softly on her lips. He moved back somewhat and explained to her quickly that Ami had figured out how to break the block on their memories.

Usagi's eyes widened at the news. Everything was going to change now. She would finally know what would happen when her true memories surfaced and whether the Usagi she knew would disappear or not. Relief and worry mixed together rushed through her. Relief that this nightmare would finally end and she would be able to fully reclaim her powers. She would no longer be a blubbering mess, tripping over herself and contemplating her end. Yet, she worried that she would become a different person once Serenity was free. Would the carefree, fun loving Usagi survive the transition? The question hung heavy on her mind as she watched Mamoru smile down at her. He was clearly elated about the latest news and it worried her. Perhaps, her greatest fears that he wanted Serenity over Usagi were true.

"What are you thinking in that head of yours?" Mamoru asked as he tapped her forehead lightly with his index finger. The doubt that surrounded her was intoxicating and it was casting shadows of doubt on him. How could such news be perceived the way she was seeing it?

"Don't worry about me," Usagi said softly as she looked into his eyes. She knew she was lying, but she hoped that he wouldn't see through her. "I'm just overwhelmed with everything… it seems that we'll be able to regain our memories and lose the uncertainty that looms over us," she explained. "You'll finally get everything you want," she said bringing him closer and hugging him.

Mamoru wrapped his arms around her automatically, but her words hung heavy over him. What did she mean by _he'll finally get everything he wanted._ Wasn't this what they both wanted? To be free and whole again? He passed a hand through her silky hair and cupped her face, "Correction Usako, we'll get everything we want… no?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Usagi nodded into his chest and lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. He didn't understand the hurt she was feeling over his and the Senshi's misguided affections towards her. All she wanted was for all of them to see her as Usagi. Not the Princess and now that her memories would be unlocked; everything would change. Nothing would be the same anymore.

She could see the hurt in his eyes as he absentmindedly played with her hair waiting for an answer. She simply smiled, "Sorry… slip of the tongue. We will get everything we want," she forced herself to say.

For the past few days, she had refused some of his advances for fear of spurring additional memories and causing the debilitating headaches to continue. If Ami, had now figured out how to stop them there was no reason to push him away. An urgency suddenly gripped her as she realized that if she was about to regain her memories, and Usagi might disappear forever, she wanted to experience being with him as Usagi. Not as Serenity. The fear of not tasting him as Usagi pulled at her as she lifted her body to his. She brought down his lips to hers as she ground herself against him. She explored his mouth with urgency, and he responded fully letting his tongue explore hers.

While Mamoru was taken aback by her bold moves he played into the advances. For weeks, he wanted to let his hands roam all over her body and now was finally letting him. He let his hands wander over the curves of her hips, and slowly let his hands slip under her tank top, feeling her stomach and inching upwards. He hesitated momentarily and was pleasantly surprised when he felt her hand over his guiding him upwards towards her breast.

The gesture was enough permission for him to let his hand continue its journey to her full, plump breast. He let his hand cup it tenderly, as he massaged her lovingly and pinched her nipple gently. It elicited the most wonderful moan from her which only fueled his desire to continue. He deepened his kiss, as he let his hand pay attention to her other breast, slowly grinding his body against hers.

He let out a satisfied groan as she responded to his advances by provocatively rubbing herself against him. Usagi smiled into the kiss as she felt him becoming harder at each thrust that she planted on him and let her hand wander down to the strings of his jogging pants. She pulled at them frantically, as he continued his lustful attack upon her breast, and was surprised when he broke the kiss, to remove her tank top. With one fell motion, the offending piece of material was removed, revealing her breasts.

He let his head dip down as he captured one while massaging the other. It took all of Usagi's power to continue fumbling with his pants. She finally successfully undid the strings and let her hand play with the elastic band to his boxers. Her efforts were momentarily thwarted when she felt Mamoru rolling her nipple in his mouth and gently nipping at it. She let out a sharp moan at the sensation and he captured her mouth immediately for fear of waking up the others at the temple.

Mamoru's senses temporarily came back as he realized they were not in the comfort of their own homes and they were guests at a temple. Could he really continue down this path on these holy grounds? The question was answered for him when he heard a gentle knock at the door.

"Usagi…?" he heard Rei on the other side. "Ami and the others will be here in 10 minutes… Are you awake?"

Mamoru shook his head in confusion as he broke the kiss. He looked down at his Moon goddess, loving the lustful look she was giving him. He was torn between his libido and duty… Part of him wanted to continue their sexcapade while the other part knew they needed to get ready.

"Usagi?" Rei said more forcefully. "Are you awake?" she asked with clear aggravation. "Actually, you probably are both awake but you guys are ignoring me doing god knows what…" she mumbled. "I know you're in there Mamoru, I can feel your presence. Can you please promise me to be ready in the next ten minutes?"

Mamoru let his head fall on the pillow and let out a chuckle. "Sure thing Rei… We'll be ready."

He heard Rei mumble to herself that they were worse than two teenagers in love and walked away. When the coast was clear Usagi let out a giggle. "I think she's a little annoyed with us," she admitted as she stretched out onto her back.

Mamoru watched her closely as she did. _Gods was she beautiful,_ he thought to himself as he observed the soft curve in her back as she stretched like a cat, and her glorious breast standing at attention. "You're going to be the death of me Usako," he said crawling up to her and placing a kiss on her lips. "The death of me…" he said again as he deepened the kiss and she willingly accepted forgetting once more they needed to get ready.


	13. The Beginning of the End

**A/N:** Posting this a little early. I'm going to be away on business next week so I might have difficulty pumping out the next chapter by Monday. I'll try super hard though because I do have two 5 hour train rides, so it's doable. Just wanted to give a heads up!

Thanks again for all the reviews! Have a great week :)

* * *

Diamond heard everything. All the details relating to the blue haired girl's confession that she knew how to break the blasted curse. It worried him that they were already so close to unlocking Serenity's memories. He quite enjoyed taunting this new version and making her doubt herself. Seeing her downfall over the past few days only ignited his fire to want her by his side. He would be able to nurse her back her emotions and make her feel wanted. It would be so much easier to brainwash her if she was destroyed but in order to do that he needed to stop Mercury's plan.

"Rubeus," he shouted. "I need your services now," he ordered from his throne as he clutched his beloved glass of red wine.

Rubeus entered from a side corridor and bowed before his Prince. "Yes my liege," he said with respect and lifted his eyes to Diamond's. "Are we ready for the next attack?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, the blasted blue hair Senshi has discovered too many of our secrets. I've been watching her through the crystal. She's uncovered our energy source and how to break the memory block on the royals," he stated in agitation.

As he spoke, he realized that while he was quite aggravated that this Ami character uncovered their secrets, he was far more concerned about the blasted Prince appearing next to Serenity in bed. He had only seen what the shy blue haired girl saw, but it was enough to know they were bedded together, and it sent his blood boiling. The Prince was once again stealing what was his prize to be won.

Distracted by his own thought, he didn't realize that Rubeus had responded to him.

"Diamond," Rubeus attempted again. "I can take care of her. The sisters have been prepared on the plan going forward and I can send Berthier to take care of our little water goddess."

"Perfect Rubeus," Diamond stated as he took a sip of wine. "Make sure the attack is coordinated in the next half an hour. They're meeting at 10 am and I don't want that blue haired bitch to say anything about the curse. It's the only thing that's working for us…"

Rubeus nodded. "Very well. If you'll excuse me I'll set up the attack," he said bowing once more and leaving the room. Rubeus knew very well that it was also an opportunity to send a targeted attack on Sailor Moon to hopefully weaken her or better yet: to kill her. He snickered to himself as he exited the room and left the obsessive Prince to his thoughts.

* * *

"Well, I told them to be here for 10 am but clearly they think they have better things to do…" Rei stated to the group before her. She had taken the liberty to call the Kings herself because she knew Mamoru would forget with his current attention divided on Usagi. It was now 10:20 am and both were unaccounted for even though they were on Temple grounds.

No one in the group had the guts to get the two lovebirds, except for Zoisite, of course, who would have loved nothing more than to embarrass his Prince.

Ami looked at the fire goddess and blushed. "I'm sure they'll be here soon… it's news about them," she said softly. "Maybe Usagi had another dream and that's why they're late," she continued as she turned her head towards the temple and saw the couple walking hand in hand. "And there they are," she said smiling.

Rei's features relaxed as she saw the couple walking towards them. While she was disgruntled they would willingly be late to an important meeting, every time Usagi was unaccounted for she worried. There was always a fear that the enemy might apprehend her, and in her current weakened state, she would easily fall to their evil clutches.

Rei and Mina had discussed at length that Usagi's mental status was fragile. They knew they would need to speak with Usagi in order to ensure that she took better care of herself. They couldn't afford her to be weak and to put the Princess in such harm. Every day, a piece of Usagi seemed to die and it worried her that even Mamoru couldn't fix her. What happened if Usagi ended up crumbling and they never unleashed the Silver Crystal? Would the world be lost? What would happen? She shuddered at the very real thought that this might happen but pushed it out of her mind. Usagi was stronger than that. And today she looked to be in higher spirits than usual. Hopefully, the news of the block would keep her spirits up and allow her to relax more. She settled she would watch her closely during today's exchange and then confront her with Mina after the meeting.

Mamoru approached the 8 sets of eyes upon them cautiously. He knew they were late and he knew his Kings, at the very least, would suspect that it was sexually induced. He ran a hand through his hair as he came to a stop in front of Kunzite.

"Sorry, we're late… we just had trouble waking up. It was a long night," he stated truthfully, omitting their little morning encounter.

"Very well," Kunzite stated. He was annoyed with the Prince, but he wouldn't let it show in front of the Senshi. He would, however, have a stern conversation with him regarding proper etiquette. Turning a cold gaze from the Prince to Ami, he shifted his attention. "We're all here. Let's hear about breaking this block."

"How about you keep that thought to yourself, little Miss Mercury," a voice boomed from the clouds. The once sunny and cloudless sky dimmed greatly as dark clouds littered the sky blocking out the natural sunshine. A deep freeze washed over the temple as cold air was blasted from all sides. Rubeus was the first to make an appearance with his red hair a stark contrast to the graying sky.

"No need to be sharing how to break the darn little thing. There's no point," he laughed in a pitch hysterical manner. "Even if you unblock it, these two Royal misfits," he said pointing an accusatory finger to Usagi and Mamoru, "Wouldn't last a day… I'd make sure of that. Now just to make this a little more interesting let me introduce you to one of the Ayakashi sisters: Berthier. I think you'll all enjoy your time with her," he said with a wide grin as the frozen sister appeared beside Rubeus. Her white hair was tied into a long braid at the back of her head and a small braid passed across her forehead, accenting her icy cold blue eyes. Her red lips were a sharp contrast to her porcelain skin which seemed to glisten in the darkness that surrounded them all. The coolness of her skin was amplified by the baby blue suit that she wore which barely covered her breast. She lifted her blue gloved hand, resting it against her cheek as she surveyed her prey.

"Who to kill first?" she said impishly as she descended towards the ground. Her thigh-high blue boots hitting the ground with a resounding click as she approached the large group before her.

Mamoru instinctively put his arm in front of Usagi as the ice queen approached them slowly while the others transformed quickly. Under normal circumstances, they would have hidden their identities but they were already exposed. There was no time to play along with a case of mistaken identities. This was a planned attack which was meant to throw them off of their game. What the enemy didn't seem to understand was that they were severely outnumbered, or maybe that was the point.

"Why are you here?" Mamoru cursed as the white-haired female approached him.

"Oh Prince," Berthier shot Mamoru a look. "Don't worry about your little Princess. I'm not going to touch her today. We have bigger plans for her," she said with a wink. "Our plans today have a specific purpose," she purred as she stalked them while keeping her distance.

Mamoru narrowed his eyes unable to believe her statement and glanced over as Mercury took out her computer to monitor the energy levels fluctuating excessively high. Mercury knew they were controlling the weather patterns, but she also felt there was a greater danger than just Rubeus floating in the sky and this Berthier character. Doing a quick scan, she discovered they were effectively surrounded by youmas, but she couldn't determine where they were.

Zoisite walked up to her and looked over her shoulder noting all the little dots which represented the enemy. "Where are they?" he asked looking around but was only met with the Senshi, the Kings, the Prince and Usagi along with Rubeus and Berthier.

Mercury shook her head looking at the screen as she saw something approaching them. The red dot on the screen was coming dangerously closer to her and the others. It was Zoisite who reacted first.

"They're UNDER US!" Zoisite screamed as he pulled Mercury harshly towards him. He was just in time to see an ice youma break through the ground where Mercury had been standing moments before, and chaos ensued.

Dozens of youmas broke through the ground knocking Senshi and guards down. Their high pitched wails were heard as they all tried to regain their bearings.

Mamoru, in particular, struggled to stand on his own two feet. He had been violently thrown to the ground headfirst and suffered a large gash to his forehead. As he righted himself he realized that he was separated from Usagi as three of the youmas encircled him. He willed his transformation to occur to ensure that he would be able to control his powers and heal from his wound faster. He shouted to Usagi to transform, but his screams were cut short as the youma began to attack him. He fought them one by one in a fist fight trying to keep them from biting into his flesh and ripping through his clothes.

Usagi watched as Mamoru was attacked and transformed quickly. She'd be damned if she was going to stand by and watch everyone attacked. She used her tiara to kill two of the youma but was soon trapped in a death grip by one of the ice villains who grabbed her from behind. She felt the ice claws digging into her, drawing blood and panicked. She tried to break free from the youma, but the iron clad hold it had on her was too much. No matter how much she moved or tried to get the grip off of her, it only seemed to strengthen it and amplify her already wounded abdomen.

After a few moments of struggle, when she thought all was lost, she felt an extreme amount of heat flash against her. She let out a startled cry as fire licked at her hair and arms. Perplexed she stepped away from the puddle that used to be the youma.

Mars ran up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok Moon?" she asked with concerned.

While she was a little dazed from the force of the attack she nodded. "All good here," she said looking out into the battlefield. She could see that all of the Senshi and Kings were engaged in battle with different youmas. She scanned the crowd quickly for Mamoru but couldn't see him. Panic started to rise in her stomach at the realization that he was nowhere to be seen.

"Mars," she asked apprehensively.

"He's over there with Kunzite," Mars replied instinctively replying knowing what preoccupied their leader's mind.

"Thanks," she said with a smile and then returned to focus on what was happening. "Is it just me or does this attack seem bizarre?" she asked unsure of what she meant. It was normal for the Black Moon to attack these days, but today's attacked seemed rather staged. They were not targeting any civilians, there was no collection of energy and no mass destruction. If this was a planned attack on all of them: who was the target and why now?

As if reading her thoughts Mars looked over at Moon. "Don't worry Sailor Moon, I'll stay by your side and protect you. Tuxedo Mask is already protected by one of his Kings. Everything should be ok," she said reassuringly.

Moon nodded, but there was still something that bothered her about what was occurring. She grabbed her tiara as a youma approached and threw it with force, breaking the one glistening youma into a million shards of ice. Mars, on her side, continued to fight off the youmas as they continued to multiply. Mars was so distracted by fighting them that she did not see Rubeus approaching Sailor Moon from behind.

As Sailor Moon fought off the youmas, she never heard the approaching footsteps. Before she could brace herself a powerful ball of red energy engulfed her from behind causing a blood-curdling scream which sent her trembling body to the ground. She tried to breathe as the searing pain continued to eat away at her.

She picked herself up to her knees, breathing heavily, as the remnants of the dark energy sizzled against her skin. She suppressed the urge to sob uncontrollably at the pain traversing her injured body. Now was not the time to be weak, she kept telling herself as she attempted to stand up. Before she could, she was violently kicked to the ground as Rubeus loomed over her. His crimson eyes flashing at the sight before him, he dug his boot into her chest forcing her body into the ground.

Sailor Moon let out a strangled cry for help which fell on deaf ears as everyone fought. She tried to grab her tiara from her forehead, but Rubeus was already upon her, straddling her fallen body and pinning her arms to the ground.

"Well, well, well, my dear princess. Seems like the rumors are true. You are slowly losing your powers the longer your memories evade you. Good for us but oh so bad for you," he threatened.

She tried to struggle out of his iron clad grip, but he was too strong. "Get off of me," she choked as she tried to use all of her energy to get the soldier off of her.

"Oh no missy," he said as he grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head. "I've been waiting over a Millennia to kill you. Diamond might want you alive but we need you dead in order to claim this planet as our own," he said conjuring forth a curved blade made out of the Dark Crystal. Its handle was lined with small red jewels which sparkled in the superficial darkness that had fallen them.

"And anyways Princess. Believe me, you'll be better off dead than enduring this torture," he breathed into her ear. "…death is much more swift. Less painful no?" he asked as he pushed down into her chest.

Usagi let the tears she had been fighting fall from her eyes at the pressure he placed on her injuries. 'How does he know about the pain?' she asked herself as she gulped for air.

"We know everything," he whispered into her ear. "I can't wait until the little prissy Princess comes out and plays. She'll be more fun than you my dear."

She knew he was taunting her and trying to get her to crumble but she couldn't help it. Once again someone was talking to her, only because she was the Princess. Rubeus didn't want her dead because of her but rather because of Serenity. It was ALWAYS about Serenity and never about Usagi. Even as she fought for her life, it wasn't for her own, but another's, and in that moment she had enough. For days, she had been wallowing in self-pity, and while her friends thought she was now worthless to them _unless_ she was Serenity, she wouldn't let the enemy make her feel the same way.

"You're a coward," she hissed glaring into his crimson eyes. "You think that by threatening me that I'm scared of you? Well, I'm not. You don't even have the guts to face me as a man. You had to knock me down a few pegs to get me pinned to the ground, play on my weaknesses, and now you want to slice my throat?" she continued eyeing the blade that was now strategically placed against her throat.

"Really impressive Rubeus," she mocked. "Takes a pathetic little man to do that," she taunted.

Her snarky comment was met with the back of his hand connecting with her face. Little did he know that's exactly what she wanted. She had seen the rage flash across his eyes as she spoke to him and she only prayed that he would loosen his grip as a result. She took the opportunity to wriggle her wrists free and right hooked him in the face. It momentarily stunned him and she took the opportunity to crawl out from under him. She struggled to her knees and tried to stand up, however, she felt a hand yank her hair forcing her to fall back. A yelp escaped her lips as Rubeus grabbed her hair to bring her back towards him.

"Guess all this hair IS useful after all," he mocked as he used the hair as rope.

Anger coursed through Sailor Moon as he belittled her. She faced her opponent head on, letting out a growl as she tackled him to the ground. Blade or no blade, she was enraged and needed to take out her frustrations. Everything from the past few weeks was starting to flash before her; the hurt, the sorrow, the despair and most importantly her worthlessness. This was her opportunity to show them all that she was capable of handling herself. If she became injured or worse, died, so be it. In her mind, she had nothing to lose. Life was a torture for her anyways.

"Just leave me alone already," she screamed at him, as she successfully landed punches on the surprised man. Never, had he thought that she would physically lash out, but here she was, in an all-out war to gouge out his eyes.

At the screams of his beloved, Tuxedo Mask lifted his head. He saw the blonde spitfire throw herself head first at Rubeus trying to land any punch that she possibly could. He couldn't prevent the smile from spreading across his face as pride swelled within him at the sight of her landing punch after punch.

Kunzite watched his Prince distractedly search for Sailor Moon and grabbed his shoulders to regain his attention. "Tuxedo Mask, pay attention to your own battle. You're no good to her or anyone if you're dead," he lashed out. "Get your head back in the game and focus for the love of the gods," he said pushing him out of the way as another youma jumped at them. Kunzite used his sword to break through the ice devils and watched both halves fall to the ground.

Tuxedo Mask picked himself up from the ground and glared at Kunzite. Why did he always have to interrupt? He looked back at Sailor Moon just in time to see his blonde spitfire receive a large blow to the head by Rubeus. Her small frame wobbled as she fell forward onto Rubeus trying to regain her bearings. "Someone needs to help her," he cried out as he stood and tried to shove Kunzite aside. "I order you to help her," he screamed as he ducked another youma attack.

Kunzite whirled around him and slashed the youma. "Under the circumstances Mamoru, I refuse your orders. YOU are my top priority, not the Princess. I will not allow you to be killed for your inability to self-preserve," he growled as he grabbed him by the collar and pushed him behind him to save him from yet another attack. "This is an ambush," he shouted back to him. "Let her guardians rescue her. the enemy clearly has a vested interest in keeping us all separated and I will NOT let them apprehend you."

"I can't live without her Kunzite," the Prince whispered as they continued to fight the onslaught of youmas.

Kunzite turned to him momentarily and softened his glare. "I know Mamoru, but I can't let you die," he admitted.

A large flash of red energy caught Kunzite and Mamoru's attention as they both turned to where Sailor Moon and Rubeus were. They were just in time to see Sailor Moon blasted off of Rubeus. Kunzite immediately grabbed onto Mamoru knowing fully well he would disregard his own safety to save her. He watched as his body tensed and Sailor Moon shakily brought herself back to her knees. She grabbed her tiara and blindly set it towards Rubeus. The tiara lodged itself into his right bicep.

"HA," she screamed in triumph as Rubeus fell backward holding onto his arm. She took the opportunity to pick herself up and run away from the crazed man. She looked around her wildly, trying to determine the best escape route. She made brief eye contact with Mamoru from across the battlefield and gave him a small smile to signify she was ok, even though her entire body ached. She didn't need him to worry about her as she clutched her abdomen.

In the meantime, Rubeus was picking himself up as well. The feisty Princess had been far more powerful and enraged than he anticipated. He looked up to the skies and summoned Berthier to him. While he wanted to dispose of the Princess, he didn't want to die doing so. Berthier could handle this and if not, it wasn't that much of a loss.

Berthier felt the summons from Rubeus and sent one final blast towards her opponents: Mercury and Jupiter. She froze both of their feet to the already icy ground and let out a shrill laugh at the small victory. She created a few more youma and advised them to attack the lightning and water Senshi, as she floated towards Rubeus.

"You look terrible Rubeus," she commented as she saw his arm was slashed open, that his nose was bleeding and he had several cuts across his face. "What happened to you?" she asked in disbelief that he would have been so mangled from one of the Senshi.

"It doesn't matter what happened," he growled. "Change your target from Mercury to Moon. I need her taken down immediately. Don't let her get away."

Berthier nodded at the command. "Oh Rubeus, it's so easy. Look," she said as she flicked her wrist and sent a blast of cold flurries towards Sailor Moon but to her surprise she ducked. Berthier made a face at the expert maneuver that Sailor Moon displayed. "I see, she's feisty," she growled as she went after her.

Sailor Moon let out a cry as the crazed woman was now after her. Can't I get at least a break for a minute? she thought to herself as she continued. In her hurry to get away from Berthier she lost her footing, it was bound to happen, and she took advantage to send a final blast as Sailor Moon fell to the ground.

Moon closed her eyes waiting for the attack to hit her. She had nowhere to go and braced as best as she could for the impact to hit, but it never came. Instead, she felt herself being pushed out of the way by small hands. Her eyes flew open to observe who exactly saved her, and saw Mercury lying across her wincing in pain from receiving the brunt of the attack. Moon immediately grabbed her friend by the shoulders, "Why did you do that? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Usagi," Mercury mumbled as she rolled off of Sailor Moon. She regained her footing rather quickly and concentrated on her powerful attack Sabao Spray. A thick fog slowly formed across the temple allowing the Senshi and Kings a small reprieve from the ongoing attacks. The youmas hissed and shrieked in objection to the thick white mist that surrounded them, and both Berthier and Rubeus cursed loudly as their eyesight was removed.

"We need to regroup," Mercury whispered to Moon as she activated her visor and took out her handheld computer from her subspace pocket. "They're too strong. All we're doing is wasting precious energy fighting the same youma, over and over again as they regenerate themselves. The only thing I can see from all of my scans is that Berthier is definitely controlling all the youma. If we can somehow disarm her, we would be in a better position to fight the youmas."

Moon nodded in agreement. "I'll do what I can," she said taking on a fighter stance. "I'm sure I can send my tiara at her and weaken her!"

Mercury looked to her leader and scanned her quickly to ensure the blonde was actually capable of continuing to fight. The minute she had pushed Moon out of the way she had felt her weakened state and the scan proved exactly that. Her vitals and energy source were reaching a critically low level. Did Sailor Moon not feel it or was she choosing to ignore it? Mercury thought to herself. She knew she was pigheaded but to continue fighting after the blows she sustained would potentially do permanent damage.

"I can't let you fight Sailor Moon," Mercury finally spoke. "You're too weak right now… Just stand back and let us handle it until we need you ok?" she said gently requesting for her leader to step down. "We need the princess safe."

Sailor Moon looked at her taken aback by the suggestion. "Excuse me?" she said softly. "I'm not going to let you all fight these monsters to keep me safe. I refuse to let that happen. I'm a Senshi just as much as anyone else and I will fight alongside all of you."

"We know Sailor Moon. But do you realize the extensive damage you've sustained today? Your readings are off the chart in a negative way… you must realize you're injured," the blue haired girl spoke quietly. The last thing she needed was for the enemy to hear how badly Moon was injured.

True, Moon felt terrible. There was no denying, that every movement sent a searing pain across her body, but she couldn't let her friends take on the attacks without her help. She needed to be there for them. She had to prove her worth as Usagi. Maybe, the Princess wouldn't fight but Usagi would. She needed to and if she died doing it, then so be it. It would be better than being viewed as someone entirely different than she was.

As if reading her thoughts Mercury put a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. "You're no good to us dead Sailor Moon," she whispered. "We need you alive… this doesn't have to be a suicide mission. After this fight, I can tell you how to break the block. It's relatively easy," she stated as the fog around them started to lift. "You just need to trust in us and stand down. Let me handle Berthier and if Rubeus comes after you again, we'll deal with him then."

Sailor Moon wanted to object, but she couldn't find the words to do so. She knew that Mercury was right. She was tired, and discouraged, and all she wanted was a pillow to crash on. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and as a result, pain started to increase. She winced as she pressed a hand to her ribs on her right side and involuntarily let out a small moan. That's going to take a while to heal, she thought to herself as she watched the fog lift completely and the battle resumed.

Even though Mercury and her conscious told her to stand down, she braced for the upcoming fight as Berthier was upon them within seconds. Ice burned behind her lifeless blue eyes, focusing on Moon behind Mercury. She sent several blasts of energy to repel the blue Senshi from Moon, but nothing worked. Mercury was proving to be an admirable opponent.

Berthier rolled her eyes in aggravation at the petite water Senshi. If the Senshi wouldn't move, then she would destroy her. At least, if she was able to get rid of Mercury then Moon would be hers. And anyway, the original target had been the water goddess herself, so why not continue down that path. She glared at her original target as a smile curved at the corner of her mouth.

"Mercury, you think that you can withstand my attacks?" Berthier shouted at her.

Mercury's eyes filled with mirth. "I believe I have been so far," she replied cheekily. "You think your attacks have been powerful, but they're all in vain. I'm still standing before you."

"Not for long Mercury," she insisted as she observed her surroundings. Rubeus materialized behind Sailor Moon locking an arm around her delicate neck. Sailor Moon let out a strangled cry at the unexpected sensation and struggled against his hold.

At the sound of Sailor Moon's cry for help, Mercury turned around quickly to help fight Rubeus. She sent a powerful shower of water towards him, knocking him and Sailor Moon to their knees. As she unleashed the attack, Berthier took the opportunity to send a wave of blue fire towards the unsuspecting Senshi. The fire, which was made of electric cold water captured Mercury. Her limbs immediately ceased as she let out a terrified scream as the crystallized ice burned away at her skin.

'I can't breathe,' the fallen Senshi thought to herself as she tried, in vain, to remove herself from the cold fire that engulfed her. Her eyes were becoming heavier as the blue haze continued to attack her. She looked over to Sailor Moon who was struggling to her feet screaming about the fallen Senshi.

'I failed you Usagi…' she thought to herself as her friend continued to struggle to stand. She could see Kunzite, Zoisite and Mamoru running towards them with worry etched across their faces. None more than Zoisite. His green eyes fell on Mercury's as he unleashed a powerful attack towards Rubeus and Berthier.

Mercury held his gaze, for support, as her eyes began to roll back into her head and she whispered a soft apology for being so weak. Her limp head fell to the side, eyes blinking slowly, watching Berthier. Their eyes locked and the ice queen whispered with a curved smile, "Checkmate!" and with that Mercury lost consciousness.

Screams of panic erupted from the fallen Moon Senshi and Mercury's companion, Zoisite, as they stared at Mercury's broken body and ran to where she had been aimlessly. Both villains took the opportunity to float upwards with Mercury imprisoned at their side. Rubeus looked down at the Senshi and Kings as they still fought youmas. He noticed some were throwing attacks towards him and Berthier, but he only grinned. It was all in vain. Nothing would destroy them, they were too powerful and protected by the Black Crystal.

His eyes fell on Sailor Moon, in particular, who was crying, like the baby she was, clutching onto Mercury's computer. The sight brought him joy, as he was seeing the once graceful Princess broken and sobbing on the ground. While he knew, it was the perfect time to kill her, he didn't dare. Moments before both him and Berthier had received a summons to return to Diamond immediately with the water Senshi. If he killed Sailor Moon now, there would be no benefit for his well being or Berthier's.

"So long Sailor Brats. Let's see how well you function and protect your useless leader without the brains of your sad, pathetic little group," he said with a laugh and disappeared with Berthier and Mercury.


End file.
